


The Ghost in the Crowd

by axzanier



Series: Sideverse of Alyx Silver AU [1]
Category: Invisible Man (TV 2000)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-11
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2017-10-29 09:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 181,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/318316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axzanier/pseuds/axzanier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A man’s character is his fate."  Heraclitus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The original idea for this story was inspired by the I-Man music vid The Return by InvisibleDanielle back in the day. To make this work with both show canon and the existing Alyx Silver timeline one small change needs to be made to season 1. That scene where a pissed off and invisible Arnaud shows up at Rendell’s flat at the end of MFN part 2 didn’t happen. However, Legends (season 2 episode 1) did. Please apply suspension of disbelief as needed, but I made every effort to reconcile the two timelines so as to make this story work.

Title: The Ghost in the Crowd

Author: A. X. Zanier

Status: WIP

Rating: R (Language, violence, sexual situations, the usual)

Fandom: _The Invisible Man_ (SciFi, 2000)

Disclaimer: a) The characters and basic story ideas of _The Invisible Man_ are the property of others including, but not limited to Matt Greenberg, Studios USA, Stu Segall Productions and NBC Universal.  Any additional characters or story ideas are mine.  I make no money from this intellectual exercise. b) This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any opinions or views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the author and are used for story-telling purposes only.

Sequel/Series: part of the AS altiverse

Timeline:  Post _Reconciliation_ , but prior to _Legacy_

Spoilers:  Definitely.  Does it really matter after all these years?

Music: _Ghost in the Crowd_ by Sister Hazel

 

 

**The Ghost in the Crowd**

 

 

 

“ _Big Brother is watching you.” The year1984 came and went seemingly without the realization of ol' Georgie’s book becoming a reality. Of course, that was quite a few years ago, but now? Now that phrase had taken on meaning that not even **he** could have envisioned._

 

 

 

The data was a mess. It had been cobbled together from a half a dozen sources and filled with best-guesses and hypotheses. Little wonder it had taken him days just to get it sorted out. Still given the original source had been damaged almost beyond recovery there remained more than enough for a start, but it would be slow going. And, sadly, time was a definite factor, thus him still being awake at this ungodly hour and staring at the laptop screen before him. He had so very much work to do to find a solution with a deadline looming over his... all of their heads. Leaning back in the chair for a moment he glanced about the apartment, lit only by the thoroughly garish Zippy Cola fridge in the kitchen and the lamp on the desk before him. Which reminded him that he'd forgotten to eat dinner. He'd planned to, even picked it out and set it in plain sight in said fridge and then gotten caught up in sorting out the data into a semi-usable form.

With a sigh, he decided it was far too late now and that he'd deal with it in the morning or whenever. Right now, he had to try to reconcile three different data sets and have them make some sort of actual sense when compared to the fourth set he held in his mind.

Arms suddenly wrapped about him, making him freeze for an instant and seriously regret his insistence on _not_ having bodyguards, then the rush of adrenaline kicked in as a soft voice said right in his ear, "What are you up to now?"

He simply reacted, no thought, just some insane survival instinct kicking in. Much to his dismay said reaction involved shoving himself and the chair over backwards onto his attacker. An instant later he was up and on his feet and grabbing for the nearest weapon-like object and wishing he hadn’t refused the handgun he'd been offered as a precaution. He ended up grabbing a heavy-looking Lucite cube off the nearby bureau and brandishing it in his raised hand. His heart pounded in his chest and seconds later felt the Quicksilver ooze across his skin. In no time at all his vision had gone grayscale, and the realization that his attacker could no longer see him registered and he shifted away from the desk, making his way across the room until he found himself backed against the high counter; the knives in their stand on the far side just out of reach. Only then did he take the time to look for his assailant.

What he saw surprised him. A girl, a mere child still lay there on the floor with the chair trapping her underneath. Well, had been trapping her, as she shoved it off her with a snarl of irritation.

"What the hell was that for?" she grouched as she got to her feet with a groan, one hand going to the back of her head suggesting it had connected with the hard surface of the floor when she'd fallen... when he'd pushed her down. "And you can come back now. I'm not planning on hurting you... too badly."

Uh... That wasn't exactly the reaction he'd been expecting from a potential kidnapper, or whatever she was. "Who are you?" he asked cautiously, knowing his voice would give away his general location at the very least. Moving as quietly as he could he tried to maneuver his way around the end of the counter and failed utterly as he whacked his hip into the butcher block table hiding there in plain sight, making the tools hanging from it swing into each other with a blatant clatter. So he once again froze hoping like hell she wouldn’t pull a gun and fire shots in his direction. There was a damn good chance she'd succeed in hitting him, as he seemed to be failing utterly to hide even while invisible. Clearly, this was trickier in reality than theory. Then again he seriously doubted he had the necessary skills, in fact, he was quite certain he didn't.

"Cute, real funny. Could we not play games tonight, I'm too damn tired."

He watched as she ran a hand through her hair, moved over to the bed, and practically collapsed upon it. The situation suddenly seemed a lot less threatening. If this were a hit or a kidnapping, or whatever, he'd be dead already. She had succeeded in getting into the apartment without him even being vaguely aware of it. Whatever she may want quite obviously didn’t involve hurting him. Which meant... he had no clue what that meant. He hadn’t been expecting anyone, and the Official had allowed him to come here alone with only minimal qualms, which suggested that he felt the apartment was more than secure enough for the time being. It was only then, when looking about that he noticed the travel bag that had been left upon the pool table next to what appeared to be a laptop bag, the sneakers tucked underneath seemed to suggest this was not an attack, but someone who was familiar with the owner of this apartment. And if that were indeed the case... Her next words interrupted his stumbling train of thought.

"If you want me to go home I will, but you could at least tell me to my face, Dare."

"Dare? Who is..." he trailed off, that train of thought smacking solidly into a wall of reality as he finally put the pieces together. "Oh crap. You weren't supposed to be back for at least another week."

She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes. "I know you're tech-challenged, but did you really forget how to read your texts while I was gone?"

She somehow met his eyes, as if knowing exactly where he stood in the room, which shouldn’t have been possible. He'd been given only the barest bones of information on her, and only then because he'd asked about the decidedly female clothes he'd discovered at the apartment. It had all but required the pulling out of fingernails for Charlie to admit her existence, Hobbes, however, had been more forthcoming, though it had been quite clear his answers had been hamstrung by whatever decree the Official had made when it came to the female agent now seated before him.

Shit. The Official was going to blow a serious gasket when he found out about this, but there wasn't much he could do about it... unless. "Sorry... Agent Silver, I... uh... got caught up in my work and forgot to check my messages."

"Agent Silver? What the hell is going on, Darien?"

He realized his mistake instantly and gave up on his efforts to try and pretend to be Darien. He had been assuming that her clothes had been left here out of convenience only, that her partnership with Darien was no more than that, but apparently not. How much more it actually was remained unknown. "I... Uh..." He felt something wash across him. It wasn't intrusive and didn’t hurt, but he definitely felt it and her body language changed instantly.

"Drop the Quicksilver, now," she ordered, slowly getting to her feet, the defensive posture one even he could recognize.

He forced his body to calm, his heart rate finally dropping low enough to allow the Quicksilver to flake away. The instant his sight returned to full color she appeared in front of him, no weapons visible, but the threat in her posture was unmistakable.

"Who are you?"

"I... I should have the Official explain all this."

Her eyes narrowed. Eyes that were an amazingly vibrant and unexpected shade of silver; a startling contrast to the red hair that tumbled about her in an explosion of curls. "Yeah, I don’t think so. You, whoever you are, have apparently taken over the body of one of my partners and I would suggest you explain why before I cuff you and drag you down to the Agency by brute force."

He didn’t doubt for an instant that the threat was real and that she'd act upon it without hesitation, but he also didn’t want to answer her. He had some concerns her reaction would not be one he would enjoy. "You tell me," is what finally tumbled out of his mouth, though it would probably turn out to be the worst response ever. Then again, he had every right to be here and doubted she did. Yes, he understood she was Darien's partner and friend, but he doubted she had any right to be so... so possessive of him.

He felt that wash of energy across him again and realized it must be from her, somehow.

She frowned, brows knitting together. "I don’t know," she hissed, taking one step closer, body tensing. " _You_ aren't there, Darien is... asleep near as I can tell, yet here you are walking and talking." She shifted slightly and even to his very untrained eye knew she would not be patient for much longer. He could answer, tell her the truth, some of it anyway, and hope to god she'd back down enough to allow him to finish his work.

"I'm Kevin," he explained.

She shook her head. "Kevin? Kevin Fawkes? But you're dead."

He chuckled ruefully. "Tell me something I don’t know."

Her body relaxed marginally, but only marginally. "Prove it."

Kevin blinked. How the hell was he supposed to do that? Hell why should he? He had every right to be here, not her. "I don’t think so."

One eyebrow rose on her forehead and he got that might not have been the best tack to take with her. He had the odd feeling she could break him very easily if she so chose, even if Darien's body was in much better shape than his had ever been. "You will, or I will put you down until I can get a team here to securely transport you to the Agency." She tipped her head to the side, her look turning dangerous. "You have thirty seconds."

The threat was far from an idle one. "And how exactly would you like me to do that? Anything Darien and I alone would know, you probably would not. Privileged information involving any of my projects would mean nothing to you." He set the Lucite cube down on the counter; he'd completely forgotten he'd been holding it, and in truth unless he threw it at her and ran, it wasn't much of weapon.

"What did Darien do with all the pictures of his mom when she died?" she asked.

The question startled him. "Uh, he was so mad he threw most of them away. Why?" He shifted and settled upon one of the bar stools, wondering why the answer would mean anything to her.

She nodded. " 'Cause it's not something many people know about, but Kevin would." She moved back a few steps and leaned against the pool table, still not truly at ease.

Clearly, she was very much not happy with the situation, which he could understand, he supposed. She'd shown up expecting to find Darien, and instead got a total stranger. "So you believe me now?"

She shook her head. "Let's just say I'm open to the possibility given the Simon Cole incident."

Kevin nodded slowly. Not really wanting to think about that incident in detail, especially given that from his perspective it had happened mere weeks ago and the guilt still lingered. He glanced at the cube and noticed for the first time that it contained photographs. He picked it back up and looked at them. One was a candid shot of the two of them: of Darien and Alyx. She leaned forward on her forearms against the railing of some pier staring out over the water, her face in profile, while Darien slouched back against the same rail, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, looking at her. The look on Darien’s face spoke volumes about how he felt about the woman now standing before him.

And it was pretty much the last thing Kevin had expected. Little wonder she felt some possessiveness of the... body he now inhabited. "I am under the impression that Charlie did not want the two of us to meet. Though I'm not entirely certain why. He has not exactly been very forthcoming with information about you. In fact, I did not realize that you and Darien were anything more than partners."

"And Bobby didn’t fill you in? I doubt that," she sneered. Plainly, she still had her doubts about who he was.

Kevin sighed. "He must think I'm an idiot," he muttered mostly to himself. The comments Hobbes had been dropping over the last several days now making sense. "I have the feeling that the Official told him not to."

"Ah. So, why are you here?" she asked. The one question he would not answer.

"That will have to wait until you speak to the Official... in the morning, by preference," he added quickly, in an effort to forestall any immediate phone calls to his... their boss. "In fact I still have work to do, so if you'll excuse me..." He hoped she would get the hint and leave graciously, but she simply laughed, though the sound was more than a touch bitter to his ears.

"Right, like I'm going to leave Darien's body alone with some stranger in it."

"I told you I'm--"

"Kevin. I heard you. Don’t mean I believe you for an instant. I plan on staying right here until I can talk to Darien for myself." She crossed her arms over her chest. "When might that be, anyway?"

Kevin set the cube down, slid off the stool, and walked past her to his computer. "Tomorrow... later today, if I can get this work done. When I go to sleep, he'll wake up," he explained, hoping it would be enough for her as it was far more than he was supposed to say. Though she didn't seem as surprised as maybe she should have been, which told him something, he just had no real clue as to what.

He sat down, making a valiant attempt to ignore her and focus on the work, but her presence remained, like an echo in the back of his mind, an irritated, unhappy echo at that. And it was damned distracting as well as weird. "You really don’t have to stay," he finally said, giving in after almost ten minutes of silence and absolutely no success at making sense of the data on the screen before him. "Darien wasn't forced into doing this, he volunteered." He could only hope it would ease the tension and worry he could feel coming from her. She really and truly felt concerned about Darien and his continued well-being and that was hard to argue with. If positions had been reversed, he'd probably feel the same way.

"Manipulated into volunteering, you mean," she sneered, and as she had the more recent experience with the Official Kevin had to admit that she just might have a better grasp of the situation than he did. The Official had made every effort to keep her away from San Diego for the duration based on comments from Hobbes and snippets he had overheard the last few days. Kevin hadn’t really paid all that much attention figuring that another spy wouldn’t really matter to the job he had to do. "Why are you futzing with the Quicksilver data anyway? Darien is reasonably stable and in no immediate danger... or wasn't when I left." The concern in her tone was blatant and Kevin turned about to watch her. "And if there were a problem with the gland the Keep wouldn’t be likely to pull a stunt like this." She waved a hand in his direction. "It'd be too risky for both the gland and the host."

The worry remained, but her change in phrasing clued Kevin into the fact that she might be something more than just another agent. That there might be some real intelligence behind the electric glare and youthful appearance. In fact, he was beginning to suspect she was far older than her looks decried and therefore far more dangerous. Least he knew Darien hadn’t been bedding jailbait, which came as a bit of a relief and proving how very little he really knew about his brother. He hadn’t seen Darien in several years until he'd woken up to find his reflection that of a brother who had aged dramatically in a seeming blink of the eye. He wanted to ease her concerns but did not feel it was his place to do so and certainly was not going to take on the responsibility of explaining the whole reason for his return from beyond the grave. Right now the best thing he could do was continue to work and hopefully have some good news for the Official come morning, or whenever he actually saw the man again. This working every other day or so could make things confusing to say the least and seeing as he'd been awake for almost twenty hours at this point with several more to go before he dared close his eyes and allow the body he wore to rest he really wanted to get on with it.

"Because there's data missing and I have to reconcile what I know with what is actually going on within the gland," he finally told her, half expecting her to roll her eyes and wave her hands much like when he'd made similar comments to Hobbes.

She huffed. "The only data missing is from Kevin's... your original notes. Though we were able to reconstruct a fair portion from the lab books that were salvaged from Perseus."

Kevin blinked. "You've read my notes?"

She snorted. " _I_ reconstructed them. Why aren’t you coordinating with Claire? She's probably already done ninety percent of this. Your efforts are redundant and, really, a waste of time."

Kevin leaned back in the chair more astonished than he'd been in a long, _long_ time. Shit. He really needed to get Alyx on his side now. Clearly, she'd been more involved in the project side of the Agency than Charlie had led him to believe. And she was quite right, coordinating with Claire would be the optimal use of his time, however there was no chance of that happening at this time. "I can't," he stated. "She's... not available."

"And that means what? Charlie fired her? Not a chance in hell." Alyx's mood and patience were swiftly deteriorating based on the dark look on her face. That she'd called the Official Charlie was one of the more interesting tidbits that she'd revealed.

"No. She's just not available and no one has been able to access her personal files due to the password encryption."

Alyx's lips quirked upwards at that.

"Your work, I take it. Computer tech?" Kevin really wanted to understand, the vibes she threw off completely confusing him.

"Not exactly," she responded pushing away from the pool table to stalk the breadth of the room in lieu of actual pacing. She was too... angry, irritated, worried for it to be considered true pacing. "Claire's unavailable, you've been resurrected. Who's overseeing the..." she waved at him.

"A Doctor Jennings." Kevin shrugged. "I'm afraid I probably don’t know as much as you think. And I'd much rather the Official give you the details as I would probably just screw things up and make you want to hit me even more than you already do." He gave her a lopsided smile and a shrug of his shoulders, which was effective in getting her to stop her prowling and sigh heavily.

"What are you trying to do?" Her tone was calmer than he expected and decided to throw caution and orders to the four winds to be scattered about them like so much detritus and make an effort to gain her trust. Having her on his side looked to be a wise move at this juncture. He had his doubts that she would understand, but figured what the hell, maybe she'd stop glaring daggers at him a begin to believe he was who he said he was and had borrowed his brother's body with a legitimate purpose.

"Trying to reconcile the version of the gland that produces the madness with the original model in order to create a safe removal technique."

"Ah."

He glared at her, one hand coming up to rub his eyes, the oddness of not having to remove glasses first once again striking him. "That's it, 'ah'?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, that's it." She blinked a couple times, the anger he could still seem to feel draining away as exhaustion took its place.

"You should go home and get some sleep," he suggested and not just because he wanted to get back to work without her hovering over him and suspecting an ulterior motive in his every action.

"Yeah, I should. Instead I'm going to stay right here until I speak to Darien and get his side of this little adventure into split personality disorder."

Kevin couldn’t help himself and chuckled. "You are not what I expected."

She cocked her head to side. "Ditto."

He snorted. "No, I most certainly wasn't. Look, at least grab something to eat and sit down. I promise to do nothing untoward with my brother's body tonight."

One delicate eyebrow rose on her forehead. "Tonight?"

"Can’t make any promises beyond that, now can I?"

She managed a quiet laugh. "No, I guess you can't." She shoved away from the back of the sofa, tracked down that ugly brown swivel chair, dragged it over and wedged it in between the end of the desk and the sofa. She settled into it with a soft groan.

"When did you last sleep?"

"Uh, two days ago or thereabouts," she told him. "Been one hell of a week."

"Tell me about it," he muttered, earning a tiny smile for his reward. "Since you are going to be stubborn until I head to bed myself, can I pick your brain and maybe get this finished sooner?"

She pondered that question with a look of deadly seriousness on her face for several long, silent minutes before finally nodding. "Sure. Might as well use this over-priced cranium of mine for something useful."

Huh. Not the most welcoming response, but he'd take it over the harsh distrust of earlier. Not that she trusted him now, and he couldn’t blame her. The Official had screwed up along the way for this unwanted and unexpected situation to develop. Kevin just wished he could fill in all the gaps for her, but really didn’t have all the information she would most certainly want. "All right, how well do you understand the construct for Quicksilver?"

Alyx laughed. "Very well. Ask away. I let you know when I'm out of my range of expertise."

 

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

Darien woke up and for a moment, he thought he’d gone blind. His hand going to his face proved that the lack of vision to be caused by a note taped to his forehead. “Gee, thanks bro.” he muttered as he peeled the thing off, trying not to yelp as hairs went with it. Holding it for a moment he noticed the nifty new desk and that it had not one, but two computers sitting on it, and he couldn’t help but wonder what Kevin had been up to this time. Opening the note, he read it twice before the words made any sense at all thanks to his brother’s horrid handwriting and then he wasn’t sure what it meant. ‘Don’t freak out. She refused to leave until she spoke to you.’ What the hell did that mean?

He slid back against the headboard, smooshing the pillows behind him as he attempted to gain a seated position and some vague form of consciousness. A glance at the clock revealed it to be after one in the afternoon, which meant Kev had pulled yet another all-nighter before finally crashing. And after apparently rearranging the room. The ugly tan chair that he loved had been shoved over by the end of the desk... a desk that hadn’t been here the last time he'd been conscious, though he supposed it made sense. Alyx had commented a couple times that one would be useful when they were doing research here. They'd been faking it with her laptop and either cozying up on the bed or sitting on the couch. If they needed to do real work, they went to her place to use the mammoth tower system she had, or stayed at the office and abused the system there. It all depended on exactly what they were doing at the time, and whether or not they wanted the Official to be aware of it.

He scratched the back of his head and yawned hugely, wondering if there was coffee to be had or if he'd have to head down the street to Cup o'Joes for his initial input of liquid consciousness. Sagging in place he debated the merits of going back to sleep until he remembered that if he did _he_ wouldn’t be awake for another day or so. Grumbling imprecations under his breath, he tossed off the covers and tried to ignore the get up Kevin had gone to bed in. If there were actually a _she_ anywhere in the apartment the last thing Darien would have worn to bed were a matching set of pajamas with long sleeves of all things. He looked like a complete and total dork at the moment thanks to his dear brother. He stumbled into the tiny kitchen, noting the picture cube sitting out of place on the high counter and the butcher block table that had been knocked out of it's usual spot. He traded the note for the cube, smiling at the photos inside. Damn he missed Alyx, and wished she were here right now. If anyone could help solve this problem, it would be her.

Setting down the pictures, he scrounged about and came up with his stash of really good beans with a sense of relief. He measured the beans into the grinder, set it to doing its thing, and damn near jumped out of his skin when someone sat up on his sofa. The Quicksilver covered him quickly at the jolt of adrenaline that shot through his system. He grabbed one of the larger knives when the unknown turned to gaze at the kitchen one hand coming up to knuckle her eye.

"Kevin?"

"Alyx?" he questioned, the Quicksilver cascading from his body as he realized who the _she_ was from his brother's note. Forgetting the coffee and allowing the knife to clatter onto the counter, he bounded across the room and swept her up into a hug. "Hot shit, girl, you're home."

She hugged back for a moment then pushed him away, her eyes meeting his with a seriousness that startled him. He felt her power wash across him and shivered in pleasure, the contact withdrawal had been awful this time around and he was more than happy to have that spot in the back of his head wake up in response to her metal touch. "What's wrong?" he asked, wondering exactly what had happened last night when she'd apparently arrived home... To _his_ home. "Oh crap."

She cracked a smile, though it didn’t last for very long. "Indeed," she agreed. Then she punched him in the arm, hard enough to hurt, but hopefully not hard enough to leave a bruise. "What the hell is going on?"

"Ow," Darien complained as he rubbed the spot. "Well, I was hoping to get a little welcome home nookie, but instead my girl decides to beat me up."

She sighed heavily and leaned her forehead against his chest. "And right now I have no idea if you are Darien, Kevin, or someone else who’s taken up residence in your cranium."

Tough to argue with that and it meant Kev had still been up and walking about in his body when she'd arrived. "Far as I know, it's just me and Kev sharing space in here."

She pushed away and slid off the sofa and away from him. "Like you have any way of knowing it's actually Kevin," she sneered, clearly having had more than enough time to ponder all the ramifications of the situation in the few hours she'd been home. Little wonder the Official wanted no part of her being here while this was going on. Yeah, Darien had figured out that the Official had talked the FBI into stretching her job with them out more than a bit. Trying to make certain she'd be kept occupied and far away while Kevin was playing Ghost in the Shell. That shell being Darien, of course.

"Okay, yeah, I am kinda working on assumptions here, but the notes he's been leaving are in his handwriting and not mine and sure sound like him." He didn’t like having to placate her, but could tell she was seriously upset about this. "I did volunteer, just in case you were wondering."

She shook her head, the disbelief evident in her stance. "I can’t even be certain this," she waved a frustrated hand at him, "is you. _Kevin_ pretended to be you... badly. For all I know he...you, are just pulling it off better this time."

Darien could think of only one way to prove he was who he was. Striding over to her, ignoring her attempts to maneuver away he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She tried to escape, hands coming up to press against his chest, but he wouldn’t allow it. He did his damnedest to broadcast his feelings to her until she went soft and pliable in his arms. He broke away to rest his forehead on hers. "C'mon, baby, let me in," he requested, voice soft and plaintive. She was blocking him completely, which he could understand he supposed, given the unexpected visitor she'd discovered in his body when she'd come home. He curled one hand about her neck to find that insanely sensitive spot at the base of her skull, something only a select few knew about given it tended to turn her into a puddle of goo.

She shivered and the wall came down, the wave of emotions striking him solidly; a tangled mass of fear, worry, confusion and anger. Desire was buried in there as well, but then again it always could be found if he looked hard enough, which continually amazed him. No matter how bad things got she always seemed to want him.

Her hands settled on his hips drawing him in instead of pushing him away. "Damn it, D, this is nuts. What could possibly have happened to justify... this?"

He continued his slow caressing of her, sensing that it wouldn’t take much for her to stalk away no matter how truthful his answers. Sadly, he would be answering very few of those questions. "Trouble in River City, and I am gonna leave it to the 'Fish to fill you in as I will most certainly fuck it up."

She sagged against him. "Kevin gave me the same bullshit. I am not an idiot, in case you've forgotten."

He tipped her head up so he could look her in the eye. "No, I haven't forgotten. It's just... I _want_ to tell you, I just can't."

She growled inarticulately. "Why is Claire 'unavailable' to assist?"

Darien groaned, wishing Kev hadn’t spilled that can of beans. " 'Cause she's gone missing, that's why." He waited for the explosion, but, after a few seconds, realized none would be forthcoming. "Alyx?"

She nodded tightly. "This is crazy, you do realize that, right?"

Oh, how he did, but he hadn’t been able to come up with a valid argument for not trying this stunt if it got them the answers they needed to resolve the situation. "Yep, and I did it anyway."

As he had hoped, she produced a smile from within her unfathomable depths. "Silly, silly, man." She went up on her toes and bit him gently on the chin, making him growl softly in response.

"It's still me, baby." He wrapped his arms about her, hoping to any god that would listen that Alyx wanted to do more than just talk about this. She'd been gone for over two weeks and he had been feeling it, especially with the whole only in control every other day if he was lucky thing. His dreams had been way weirder than usual and she'd been making plenty of guest appearances.

"For now," she grumbled. "Sorry, just wasn't expecting to come home to find you playing party line."

Darien snorted. "I know, but you're home now and that's all that matters." He ducked his head down. "I missed you. A lot."

She sighed softly, leaning in she took a deep breath as if wanting to verify he still smelled like he should. _*Same here. Care to spend some time getting to know one another again?*_

 _*I think I could deal with that,*_ he answered even as he dove in to kiss her.

 


	2. Chapter 2

They didn’t make into the Agency until nearly four in the afternoon, and he hadn’t really wanted to leave his apartment, but Bobby had called wanting to get together and compare notes. Darien had pouted while Alyx had laughed and he agreed to head in for a couple hours.

Their play had been much needed and allowed them to get reacquainted after a longer than normal separation. The Official usually disliked having her gone for more than a week at a time as it meant she wasn't around for him to use. She had pretty much refused to talk about her encounter with Kevin; probably because she remained unconvinced that was whom had been borrowing his body. She'd detailed that she could not readily _feel_ the person using Darien's body, and that he felt as if he were asleep, which made a lot of sense considering what they'd learned during the Simon Cole incident. Claire had pieced other things together later that she hadn’t shared with the class, but that the Official had been briefed on and that had ultimately led to the current situation. All in a good cause as far as Darien was concerned, but Alyx quite plainly had her own concerns... ones she was not yet ready to share.

Darien suspected she was about to unload both barrels on the Official... once he got over the initial surprise of her return that is.

When they walked in the door, Darien playing the gentleman and holding it open for her, Eberts was the first to notice, fumbling the files he held and dropping random bits of them onto the floor as he stumbled to a halt and stuttered, " A..a...a Agent Silver you're home."

He froze in place for a long moment before dropping to his knees to retrieve the files.

Darien wanted to feel sympathy with the lackey, but his shock pretty much proved out Alyx's belief that they had dragged out her loan job in order to keep her from finding out about Kevin. Darien could only wonder exactly how long they had been trying to keep her away for. Weeks? Months? Could he host his brother for that long? Should he? She had refused to detail her concerns, saying she needed to talk to the boss and this Dr. Jennings. Personally, Darien didn’t care much for the man, but Jennings definitely knew his way around the Q-gland, and had been put in charge for the duration, and Darien hadn’t really been given a whole lot of choice.

"So, look who I found this morning," Darien said when the Official finally deigned to lift his head to see exactly what was causing all the fuss. "Can I keep her?"

Alyx chuckled softly, shaking her head in amusement.

The Official didn’t rise to the bait and ignored Darien. "Miss Silver, you've returned early. Can I presume the job was completed successfully?"

"Yes, you can. Now care to tell me why you didn’t recall me when Claire went missing?" Alyx maintained a bland tone, but Darien could feel the irritation radiating from her. She was not a happy camper right now, and he had the feeling her mood was going to go down from here.

The Official growled with real anger, "Fawkes--"

Alyx cut the rant to be off at its knees. "Darien didn’t tell me, Charlie. I stopped by his place when I got in last night, guess who I ran into?" She tipped her head to the side, the tension in her shoulders easily visible.

"Kevin. You spoke to Kevin."

Alyx nodded.

With a sigh, the Official removed his glasses and dropped them onto the scarred surface of his desk. "This was not supposed to happen. It was supposed to be over before you got back."

"And exactly how long would that have been? The fibbies you stuck me with just kept coming up with one lame assignment after another, but the missing child was the last straw." Alyx rolled her shoulders.

"You have something against finding a missing child?" The Official managed to shove as much dismay as he could manage into his voice.

"Not a thing, provided the case isn’t twenty years old." She set her hands on her hips. "I found her, by the way, alive and well in Michigan after having been raised by her aunt instead of her abusive father."

"Miss Silver, we have our reasons for doing this," Eberts stated, his self-assurance back now that he'd gotten over the surprise of her return.

"Oh, I'm quite certain you do," she sneered. "Why Kevin when you obviously had a new Keeper waiting in the wings?"

Darien twitched. He hadn’t really thought about it quite that way. Given the situation it made some sense that Jennings take over, it just had never occurred Darien that the man was essentially replacing Claire. And that was something he wanted no part of. He and the good Keeper might not always see eye to eye and trust might occasionally be an issue, but he knew when push came to shove she would back him, Darien Fawkes, over the Agency. She'd proven that time and time again.

"Doctor Jennings has nothing to do with Kevin other than overseeing Darien's continued health." The Official's tone was bone achingly cold. It was obvious to Darien he wanted no part of answering Alyx's questions, no surprise there as he'd made every effort to extend her stay with the FBI. Alyx clearly thought the whole thing more than a touch hinky and Darien was beginning to believe that she had the right of it. The good Keeper being in actual trouble notwithstanding.

"What's really going on?" Darien asked, and was rewarded with surprise on the Official's face, as if he'd never expected to be asked so simple a question.

The Official shook his head. "A little too late too be asking that question, now isn't it?" He met Darien's eyes for a second then returned the heavy gaze to Alyx. "Miss Silver, I do not expect you to understand, but expect you to not interfere, in fact, I would prefer if you would assist Doctor Fawkes in any way you may be able to."

She tapped a foot on the floor. "He said he's looking for a safe way to remove the gland, is that true?"

"Yes," Eberts responded. "Her continued health is contingent on it."

"It will take months for Kevin to discover a workable technique. He's still reconciling data." She turned to Darien. "Why doesn’t he remember anything about the madness?"

"Because the mRNA sample used was taken before Darien had joined the project," the Official explained.

Darien could practically see the cogs whirring in her brain as she came to the same conclusion he had come to.

"Oy vey. How long before?" She looked as if she expected to hear very bad news.

"Months. After the Simon Cole test had been concluded, however." The Official didn’t look happy to be filling in these blanks, but had probably figured out it would be best to get her back on his side. Alyx as an enemy would be a scary sight to behold.

"Shit. So, he has no clue whatsoever. It'll take him too long," she said, with a frown on face.

"So give me another option." There was something in the 'Fish's voice, something that said he had a card up his sleeve, and the beady-eyed glare he gave Alyx meant bad news for someone.

Alyx glared right back, not giving an inch, but, at the same time, she gave off the feeling that she was being backed into a corner. "I'll need all the files to date, including the ones involving Claire. I'll work both sides of the case."

The Official looked surprisingly smug at her statement. "You'll have them by tomorrow morning."

"Fine. What are we doing to find Claire?" she asked, though her tone suggested it was far closer to a demand. She was not happy at all.

"Agent Hobbes can fill you in on that. Is there anything else that you actually need, the Official does have other work that requires his attention." Eberts probably regretted causing Alyx to focus her attention on him, as he physically flinched when she turned her head to look at him.

"Oh, I'm certain His Majesty does," she growled, not about to give an inch.

The Official just chuckled, which just seemed to piss Alyx off even more. Darien suspected there was something else going on, but hadn’t a clue as to what.

"C'mon, let's go find Hobbesy and we'll fill you in." He glanced over at the 'Fish who gave him a curt nod, which meant he... they could tell her everything. Yeah he'd told her the boss should fill her in, but as the 'Fish clearly wanted no part of wasting his oh so valuable time doing that, Darien and Bobby would get to, hopefully without screwing it up too much.

She tensed, still spoiling for a fight with the Official, but nodded, turning away from the power behind the desk. "Sure. Might as well find out what bullshit he's been shoveling to distract the two of you."

"Agent Silver, I would not push the envelope too far if I were you," the Official warned, tone black as a moonless night.

She smiled sweetly at him. "But that's what I do best."

The Official cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing, readying a scathing retort that never manifested as the phone on his desk rang. Eberts moved quickly to answer it. "We'll deal with this later, I have to take this call."

"Of course," Alyx demurred overly polite. Without another word, she spun about and stalked from the room.

"You do not want her to get out of line, Fawkes. Rein her in," the Official barked in dismissal, much to Darien's shock.

 _Rein her in?_ _How the hell am I supposed to do that?_ And why would he. Allowing her go off reservation, so to speak, had saved their asses on any number of occasions, no way in hell he'd try to stop her this time, unless she looked to playing the martyr. He liked her alive, thank you very much, and would make every effort to keep her in that particular state. He left the office with what was surely a confused expression on his face. Alyx hadn’t been here to push the Fat Man's buttons so why did it seem like the lines had been drawn in a battle and this had simply been the first skirmish. She was nowhere in sight so he made the bold assumption she'd headed for their partner's office where they'd planned on going and found her waiting a couple hallways over, leaning against the wall, slumped down and looking dejected.

He took up position next to her. "What's up?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just waiting on you."

"Then why do you look like someone just kicked your dead puppy?"

She snorted. "Lovely visual there, bub." She sighed and straightened, her back still pressed against the dingy wall. "I just don’t trust him, is all."

Darien shrugged. "Then trust me. I walked into this eyes wide open." He set a hand on her shoulder and felt her stiffen in response. "You need input. Hobbes is waiting for us."

She nodded, but shrugged his hand off, which he tried to not let bother him. He got that she was upset and more than a little confused by the sudden visitation of his brother, but it wasn't _that_ weird in the grand scheme of things, was it? Not for their lives anyway. They practically lived an episode of the X-Files on a weekly basis, why would his hosting Kevin make her want to spit nails?

Yeah, the Official always had ulterior motives for everything, but Darien doubted the boss had arranged for Claire to vanish or where she had ended up. It had been a shock for all of them and Darien's first instinct had been to go haring off after the culprit, but Hobbes had managed to talk him down. His second choice had been to call Alyx, but had been vetoed by the Official, citing her need to complete the job at hand. And then Jennings had magically appeared, which Darien now realized had been awfully convenient. The walk to the office was done in silence as he pondered the ramifications of his sudden disheartening epiphany. Everything that had happened over the last ten days had made perfect sense at the time, but in hindsight he could now see an odd pattern; that everything had come together just a touch too easily for the chaos that had been occurring.

He'd been living it and noticed nothing, yet Alyx had been home all of five minutes and saw _everything_ that wasn't right with the situation. Could he have been that easily snowed or had his concern for Claire and his visceral need to _see_ his brother again have clouded his judgment that badly. He had to admit it could be entirely possible.

Hobbes was up and pacing the room when they entered, his cell phone to his ear, his only commentary involving one-syllable words that did little more than tease what the actual conversation was about. Darien grabbed his usual chair and slumped down into it wondering how bad the news was going to be based on the dark look on Hobbes' face. They'd had very little success tracking down where the Keep had gone. She'd been snatched up on the way home from work, her Cherokee found abandoned on the side of the road, locked up tight and no direct evidence of anything suspicious. Almost as if she'd pulled over and simply walked away. Which she wouldn’t have, not without a damn good reason anyway. Her dog, Pavlov had been left at home, the poor pup looking miserable when they had shown up to look for Claire. Darien was pretty certain she would not have abandoned her beloved pet for any reason. He'd made arrangements for the dog to be taken care of at a high-end doggy day care for the duration. Pavlov would be living the high life for the duration with Darien getting regular updates as to his health and well-being.

Hobbes snapped the phone shut. "Kid, you're back. Good. Fawkes, fill you in?"

"Which one?" she asked, her tone dry as dust.

"Which one? What... When did you get back?" Bobby came to dead stop, giving her the once over.

"Late last night, stopped by Darien's place. Guess who _wasn't_ at home?"

Hobbes closed his eyes for a long moment. "Shit," he muttered.

Darien chuckled. "A mouthful, my friend. Needless to say Alyx is less than happy about the situation."

Hobbes sighed. "Can’t say I am either," he finally stated, moving over to his desk and grabbing the file that lay there. "Sit, kid. You have a million questions, I'm sure, and I want you to at least pretend to relax while we plow through them."

She pushed off the wall and strode over to the window, instead of to the one comfy chair in the room. "Just tell me you can verify that he really is Kevin Fawkes?" she requested softly, tone almost plaintive.

Hobbes shook his head. "Wish I could, kid, but I never met him."

That actually surprised Darien, he had always just assumed that Hobbes had known Kevin, since they both worked for the Agency. There weren't that many employees, after all. "Uh, how could you not?"

Hobbes shrugged. "Wasn't like I was assigned to the project. I was doing my usual shit and didn’t even know anything was going on until sent to Mexico to track down what de Ferhn was doing."

"You didn’t know about Perseus?" Darien questioned, honestly surprised.

Hobbes ducked his head. "Not really. Did I help the boss with some security stuff? Yes. Did I know it was for the desert lab? Nope. I'm covert ops not guard detail. Didn’t have anything to do with me until Arnaud made his move." He settled into his chair, the wooden back creaking ominously. "Wasn't till you showed up that I knew anything had gone wrong."

"You didn’t need to know," Alyx stated softly, completely absorbed in whatever she saw outside the window to all appearances.

"You know it, kid. I did what I was told, just like always. Then this greenhorn," he gestured at Darien, "falls into my lap and dumps my entire world view on its ass. I mean I know my share of secrets, but I had no idea what the Official had up his sleeve." He waved the folder in his hand for emphasis. "What I know about Kevin Fawkes is all on paper. 'Fraid I'm taking the Official's words that Fawkesy's alternate personality is who he says it is, and considering the geek I've had to put up with, I at least don’t think he's lying." He shrugged. "The only one who could possibly verify his identity is the one person who can’t talk to him." He met Darien's eyes with a concerned look, admitting for the first time that he liked this situation in no way at all.

Darien kind of wished Hobbes had said something sooner, it might... no it would have given him pause and made him seriously _think_ about his decision instead of agreeing with only minimal persuasion. Too late now, and he... they would just have to live with it and make it work. Which meant working _with_ Kevin when he was in control. "Hobbes, you could have said something."

"I did, to both you and the boss. Boss told me to shut up and soldier, you wanted to rescue Claire. Not exactly something I could argue with." Bobby looked over at Alyx, who hadn’t moved. "Maybe now we'll have some success finding her."

Alyx turned her head ever so slightly to look at Bobby. "Who has her?"

"Arnaud," Darien answered, that fist in his gut tightening up once again. He hated the Swiss bastard more than he thought possible, but the oily weasel just kept slipping through his fingers. "He delivered proof of life and demands, what... How long ago now?" He shifted to look directly at Alyx. "Time clock is screwy with the every other day-ish thing."

"Five days ago. She'd been missing two by that point." Bobby set the file back down. "The demands were pretty straightforward, but even with the surprise appearance of Doc Jennings still not possible without Claire."

"And these demands have to do with the gland? Why?" Alyx finally moved away from the window, ending up standing next to Darien, her hip resting gently against his left arm. He could feel how upset and confused she was, and knew their answers wouldn’t really help to calm her.

"Arnie's stuck invisible," Darien explained.

Alyx blinked. "Uh... did I miss an after school special along the way? He doesn’t have a gland." Darien looked over to Hobbes then back at her, which clearly was the signal for a follow up question. "Does he?"

"You read the report on the Stage Five incident, didn't you?" Hobbes asked.

"Well, yes, but I assumed," she paused, a wry chuckle escaping, "which was probably stupid I know, that he'd had it yanked by that Dr. Rendell since he never Quicksilvered when I was working with him in Cabo." She ducked her head unable to meet either of their eyes for a long moment. "I may have been more than a little screwy in the head at the time, but I would remember _that_."

"Huh. She does have a point, Fawkes. And it wasn't like he went invisible to escape here. He did that the old fashioned way." Hobbes scratched the side of his neck, the confusion in his voice audible.

"Guns and explosives," Darien muttered, knowing neither of his friends would get the reference... hell, Kevin wouldn’t either, as it happened long after the bio sample used to recreate his memories had been taken. "But it doesn’t make sense that he had it removed only to put another one in."

Alyx set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Maybe... maybe he simply suppressed it. Like your inhibitor, but one that turned it off completely." She patted him then paced away. "Kevin's notes include an off switch for the gland, but it’s supposed to be temporary to allow specialized testing to be completed."

"An off switch and I'm hearing about this only now why?" Darien kept his temper reined in, suspecting there had been a very good reason for it never have been mentioned never mind used.

"Yeah, kid, why hasn't the Keep used it?" Bobby added in, his tone expressing the anger Darien had made certain to keep locked tight in side.

"Because it was designed for the original gland, the one without Arnaud's toxin modifications. She... we needed to verify it would still work before taking a chance using it." She shrugged. "You've had no overt complications, so while it remains on the to do list, it isn't a priority."

"Oh. But you think Arnie used it on his gland." Darien had to admit that he really had no interest in having yet more drugs pumped into his system and even more tests run, so could understand why the subject of the off switch had never even been broached. He would have jumped on it and made them do it and to hell with the consequences if it gave him just a moment of freedom from the gland and its demands on his body. "But could it be used long term? We're talking months here."

Alyx shrugged. "Possibly? If the reports are correct and Rendell wasn't lying about the gland in his head being identical to yours, then he would have the same complications, including the madness." She stopped and leaned back against the desk. "He would have had to modify the original version and then overcome the short-term design. Not impossible by any means... especially with Heilburg on his payroll. The little shit." She rubbed her eyes and sighed heavily. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty," she groused under her breath.

"Kid?" Bobby leaned forward to get a better look at her. "What's up?"

"I just... it makes sense now. Some of the information he had me tracking down seemed superfluous at the time given he had me snowed into believing he already had a removal technique." She turned to face Bobby. "He didn’t obviously, but it was the perfect card to play to bring in Darien. It didn’t take him long to figure out I knew way more about the gland and Quicksilver than I should have and he had no problems letting me play with his toys."

Darien plastered a bland look on his face, not really wanting to relive that whole Cabo debacle. It hadn’t yet faded far enough into the past to not sting. Alyx... well, Alyx's alternate personas had slid right into Arnie's life easily, and completely, sleeping with him as a seeming matter of course. Until Darien had shown up. Then all those lovely personalities had collapsed, leaving him trying to put his girl back together without knowing who she'd be from moment to moment. "Alyx, you had no way of knowing what was going on."

"Right, like she wasn't reading his mind every chance she got," Hobbes snarked, and Darien hated to admit that he was probably correct.

Alyx shrugged. "If I knew I'd tell you. For a total sociopath he has a very well organized and controlled mind. I suspect I _overheard_ nothing he didn’t want me to." She tipped her head slightly. "None of which helps in this situation. So, he has a Quicksilver gland implanted, one that is currently malfunctioning to the point where he is permanently invisible. And we can presume it is for a different reason than that which caused Simon Cole to end up in the same state as before the adjustments made by Dr. Rendell he was able to shed the Quicksilver even if it didn’t bend light at the correct frequency."

Darien chuckled at the blank look on Bobby's face. Alyx had managed to process in mere minutes what had taken Kevin two days. Granted day one had apparently been taken up with explaining how he had been given a second life and then why. He hadn’t really started working on the problem until his second wake cycle. Little wonder Bobby looked like he had a bad case of geeklash. Which made Darien wonder yet again why the Official hadn’t simply recalled her when Claire had gone AWOL.

"Kid, sometimes you scare me."

Alyx turned to Bobby with a patently fake sweet smile on her features. "Only sometimes? I'll need to work on that."

Hobbes snorted. "Later, we have more important things to do."

"True enough. What are you doing to find Claire? I take it she wasn't wearing a tracking device?"

Darien answered. "No, or if she was we ain't picking it up. We've tried all the usual frequencies without success." He hated having to spend half their time detailing everything that they'd already done, but it was necessary to get her up to speed. And it wasn't as if they'd be able to accomplish all that much tonight. Hobbes had been awake all day, unlike the two of them, which meant he would need to crash in a few hours and alone there was only so much Darien could do. "Alyx, can you find her?"

"Maybe? My connection to her is nowhere near as strong as the one to you, or even to Bobby. And if she's in a shielded building I may not be able to sense anything past it." She shrugged. "I'll give it a go, promise. I have some more questions first."

"Shoot. We'll answer what we can," Hobbes told her, actually looking relieved that she might be able to find Claire, the first real break they'd had since this whole mess had started.

"Bobby, don’t get your hopes up, please. The chances of me finding her are very slim just given the number of minds in the city. She's one of thousands even if I am familiar with her." Alyx slumped against the desk, looking as dismayed as Bobby did at her disheartening words. "I'm not saying it's impossible. It might give us a direction to look in, but if he grabbed her and ran they could be in Canada by now me telling you she's north of here would mean nothing."

Hobbes nodded. "Least it'll be a direction to move in, right now we ain't got bupkus."

"What about Arnaud? Could you track him?" Darien surprised even himself by asking that without his voice breaking the least little bit. She wouldn't run back to Arnaud for any... No, he couldn’t say that. If it were in his best interest, she would. It had taken time to understand that. That she would do pretty much anything for him, up to and including dealing with the enemy. That lovely and annoying martyr complex of hers.

Her eyes met his, looking hurt. "No, I can't," she stated, tone cold. "I was _never_ that close to him."

Hobbes intervened. "Not saying you were. Just looking for options. We have no clue where to look and as you just pointed out the Swiss Miss Mother could be anywhere by now, with Claire."

Alyx nodded, but didn’t drop her eyes from Darien for several long, tense seconds. He hadn't meant to push that particular button, but part of him still hurt over the betrayal even knowing that she, his Alyx, hadn’t been in control of the situation. The woman he knew and cared about had been swallowed up by those implanted personas and had barely survived when they'd come crashing down about her.

"Well, not anywhere, really," she said as she finally broke eye contact.

"What do you mean?" Darien kept his voice neutral, not wanting to force her to relive any more of those memories of Arnaud than necessary. He suspected they'd be having a long talk once they were done here. Provided he could keep her from running off to hide. She hated what she had done and still felt such guilt for it. Normally they ignored the subject, but this situation was going to force it back into the light and that might just mean it was time to deal with what had gone on, and why and finally get past it... together. 

She gave him a tiny smile. "I mean, if he's looking to fix himself..."

Hobbes snorted. "That's what we need a neutered de Ferhn."

That got a laugh from Darien and a grin from Alyx before she continued. "He's going to need lab equipment and a place to work. And we know he prefers all his creature comforts."

"Okay," Hobbes said with a nod of agreement. "Still leaves that anywhere option in play."

She shrugged. "Truthfully, I don’t see him going very far from San Diego. Too big of a pain in the ass with a conscious Keeper. She's more than capable of kicking his ass if given the chance to." She tipped her head to the side. "Did you look for Rendell?"

Hobbes nodded. "Off the grid as far as we can tell. Last confirmed sighting was in Milan four months ago. Doesn’t mean she didn’t rejoin her boy-toy for this adventure, we just ain't laid eyes on her."

"Cabo?"

"First place we looked," Darien told her. "Local government took over the compound and claim to have not seen him since we picked him up. Since the same Police Chief is in charge we believe him."

Alyx sighed. "Had to ask."

"A'course, kid. Which is why we checked. His place here in town hasn’t been touched and the Hacienda in Mexico has been abandoned near as we can tell." Hobbes got to his feet. "Eberts is looking for any other places that might belong to him, but has come up empty so far. Since we discovered his casino, he doesn’t grace it with his presence.” He shrugged.  “All he needs is just one alias we don’t know about and he could be hiding right under our noses."

Alyx snorted. "He's invisible, he could be standing in the room with us and we wouldn’t know it." Her look turned thoughtful at that. "Huh. That is a very good point. He can’t be doing this alone. He can’t even rent a hotel room without help."

"Which means he has his usual collection of thugs and muscle men to assist," Darien added, continuing on the same train of thought. "Though he could be going old school and just covering up from head to toe."

"Like in the movie?" Hobbes rubbed the top of his head. "Possible, but walking around like that gets noticed, especially in t-shirt and shorts weather." He tapped the folder against his other hand. "We'll have Eberts expand his search parameters. Maybe look for reports of a guy swathed in bandages, though given how close we are to LA folks might just think it's for a movie remake or something."

"Okay, feed Eberts the new data set. I doubt it'll do any good, but it's worth a try." Alyx pushed away from the desk and began to pace the room. "We'll follow the location angle. He has very specific needs and would be unable to use any of the more obvious facilities. Local hospitals and labs would probably notice the usage."

"And the unwilling assistant," Darien pointed out. "Could he be using Claire's credentials to get gear?"

"Shit. I would hope that Eberts had looked into that on his own, but we'll add it to the list." Hobbes looked irritated. "Wish we'd thought of that sooner."

Alyx shrugged. "Doesn’t matter, really. He wants his fix and will make every effort to stay hidden until he gets it. He either couldn’t find another tech to work with him or killed him when the work went nowhere. Aside from Kevin, Claire is the expert in the field as far as he knows."

"As far as he knows? What does that mean?" How could there be anyone else? Claire had been pretty much it from the get go. And the Official was a tight-mouthed bastard and not known for sharing his toys, especially those related to Quicksilver.

Hobbes growled inarticulately. "You think the bossman pulled Jennings out of a hat?" He threw up his hands, papers sliding out of the file and onto the floor, which he then scrambled to pick up with a curse.

"Jennings, don’t know Jack," Darien stated unequivocally.

"He knows more than enough to handle the Counteragent and inhibitor and monitor the... the whole personality swap thing." Hobbes stalked back over to his desk and slammed the file down. "He didn’t get read in the day before, he knew what was going on the moment he walked in the door."

"But he's not good enough to solve Arnie's problem, which means while in the know he's unaware of all the details," Alyx noted in a soft tone that did little to ease the concern that Hobbes' realization had brought screaming out into the open. Darien's life was currently in the new doc's hands, his _and_ Kevin's and while he hadn’t trusted the guy from day one, hadn’t exactly had any real choice. "Is there anyone who can solve Arnie's problem?"

"Removal is easy, survivability not so much," Alyx pointed out, reminding them that the situation affected Darien as much as it did Arnaud. "I know her number one priority was to find a safe removal technique, exactly where she is on that project I don’t know."

While it was good to know his Keeper had indeed been working on a solution, Alyx's lack of knowledge on where the Keeper had been on the project worried him. But, then again, Alyx had been busy dealing with her scrambled mind and work. And, unless it was a joint project, the Keeper was in no way expected to apprise Alyx of every aspect of her projects. Alyx often knew generalities, but rarely the details. "And we can’t get into her files. Even Eberts couldn’t hack his way in." He caught the lip twitch and hint of a smile, which meant Alyx knew exactly why the Keeper's files were so secure. "Any chance you know why that is?"

"Yep." Alyx nodded. "She had some security concerns so I improved her encryption a bit."

"Wait, does that mean you can access her files?" Hobbes damn near bowled her over he was in front of her so fast, hands planted firmly on her shoulders as if wanting to guarantee she wouldn’t escape before answering.

"Yep. Doesn’t mean it'll do us any good. But no way in hell I'm doing it with Jennings around." She stopped her pacing, crossed her arms defiantly, and eyed each of them warily as if waiting for them to argue with her.

That wasn't about to happen. "Kid, we don’t trust the mook either, but it wasn't like Fawkes here had much of choice in who to play doctor with. Not with you still out on assignment anyway."

"Will Claire's files help?" Darien asked, glancing over at Bobby who didn’t look the least bit happy at Alyx's revelation of distrust _before_ even meeting the man. She suspected something was going on, but didn’t want to share with the class yet. Fair enough, they were already paranoid and would probably want to run screaming for the hills when she announced her concerns.

"I have no way of knowing until I read them." She sighed softly. "I'll make copies and check them out on my system. I don’t trust anything here to not be bugged right now."

"Jeez, kid, and I thought I was paranoid," Hobbes managed around a chuckle that was clearly forced. "You think something hinky is going on inside the Agency?"

She nodded. "I just don’t know if it's pressure from the inside or outside."

"Your ex’s people?" Bobby suggested, and Darien couldn’t disagree. Though why go after Claire if they wanted Alyx?

"Not a clue. Need more input. Need to talk to this Dr. Jennings... without ripping his head off and stuffing it down his neck," she growled. "This... this bringing back Kevin is stupid on so very many levels..." she trailed off shaking her head.

"Why, kid?"

"Yeah, why?" Darien echoed, able to feel her very real concern from across the room.

She rubbed her eyes. "You sure you want to know?"

Darien looked over at Bobby who met his eyes with a look of mixed concern and wariness.

"Kid, I'm thinking we should. We was told there would be no risks at all."

Alyx laughed, the sound having a bitter, harsh edge to it. "Lemme guess, by the Official?"

"Actually, Jennings, but he could very well have been playing mouthpiece. Not like we know his motives in this." At the time Darien had been so stressed over Claire having gone missing that when Jennings had arrived he'd seemed like a savior more than an interloper. Someone who could deal with the day-to-day care and feeding of the Invisible Man and his Quicksilver gland. He'd never even really questioned how he knew about the QS-9300 project, had just been relieved that a batch of Counteragent had been started and that the risk of madness had been brushed aside yet again.

"You two are usually the most paranoid distrustful guys on the planet and yet you let Jennings waltz right in and take over the day to day operations in the Keep without a single word of complaint. I get that you were worried about Claire, but really, guys, you couldn’t manage even a little suspicion?" Alyx sounded more than a touch put upon, and Darien had to admit she had a point. They should have asked more questions at the time, for it was far too late now. "Let's get out of here. I have my doubts about the internal security right now."

Hobbes grunted. "Sure, kid, we'll get some dinner and discuss a few things." He turned to Darien. "Work for you?"

"Works for me," Darien responded, rising out of the chair he'd not moved from for the entire conversation. "Maybe do a little Claire hunting too?"

Alyx nodded. "Yeah. I'll see if I can orient on her. We can stop back here later and check in with Jennings... maybe." She moved to stand next to Darien. "I wish I'd been here when this went down."

"Yeah, me too," Darien agreed. Her being gone had been awfully convenient on so many levels that it was disturbing in hindsight. "You're driving, Hobbes."

Bobby sighed, but didn’t argue.

 

…

 

They ended up eating a picnic at Balboa Park. They had chosen to relax on a hillside that overlooked the whole of downtown. And they weren't the only ones, as the hillcrest was dotted with families and couples and friends all enjoying the beautiful evening weather and the live music wafting out from the nearby Starlight Theatre. Hobbes had removed his sport coat and unbuttoned his shirt enough to fake looking comfortable, but they still stood out, clearly at the park for more than just spending time together. Not a big deal, as it did encourage everyone else to keep their distance, which was just fine with the three of them. Darien lay on his side, head propped up on one arm while Alyx leaned back against him, her shoes off, bare toes in the grass, and hair hanging loose about them, the evening breeze picking up curls and waving them about like flaming banners.

Bobby took another pull from his beer, although technically a working dinner, he had needed a real break so Darien had paid for the six-pack, and ordered his partner in no uncertain terms to drink his share. Alyx wouldn’t even get a buzz off the two brews and would be perfectly capable of driving if necessary, which it wouldn’t be. While wanting to find their missing friend, they all knew that a couple hours to rest, recharge and reorient would be more beneficial than pushing themselves till they collapsed. Besides Darien wanted his turn spending time with Bobby, and both of them needed the time to get back into the groove with Alyx. She was still bristling over the entire situation, not happy with being purposely kept away and suspecting everything and everyone. They needed to get her to calm down, or she wouldn't be able to locate Claire at all. 

Darien had a good idea what she would be doing and that she'd probably end up with a headache for her trouble, but if there were the slightest chance this could work, they'd take it and do everything in their power to rescue the good Keeper and void any deal that had been made with Arnaud. Darien knew what the demands were, but had no real idea if the Official planned to meet them or just string along dear old Arnie until they were able to catch him. But if he hadn’t planned on meeting those demands, why resurrect Kevin?

Darien sighed softly deciding to not worry about the whole Kevin mess right now. Alyx leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"It'll be all right," she said softly.

"I know." He squinted his eyes as he looked up at her, the westward sinking sun still quite bright even as it lowered towards the horizon. They still had a couple hours of daylight left before a change of tactics might be in order. "Bobby, how long have you been awake?"

"I'm off my usual schedule what with you and your bro trading places at oddball times, why?"

"We won’t need to sleep for a while, that's why, and he'd like to spend some time with you, but not at the expense of you getting some shut eye," Alyx answered, slouching down in the curve of Darien's torso, eyes drifting shut as she made a grand effort to relax.

"Not a problem. I can still go twenty-four hours if needed." Hobbes flopped back onto the blanket, taking the few spare moments they had to recharge his battery. "Red Bull can do wonders even for old dogs like me."

Darien chuckled. "He's a madder man than usual when he's got his wings." He trailed his free hand through Alyx's hair, making her shiver in response. "Still, we can split the work three ways now..." She nudged him with an elbow. "Okay, two and a half then."

Bobby snorted in amusement. "No worries, my friend, we'll work it out. Right now we need to try to locate the Keepy." He laced his fingers behind his head, to all appearances doing nothing more than staring at the cloudless blue sky above. "That is why we are here, right?"

"Yes, Bobby, that's why we're here. I can’t promise this will work."

"Kid, it’s worth a shot. What do you need us to do?"

"Nothing really. Just enjoy the weather." She shifted slightly in an effort to get more comfortable. She lifted her head slightly, as if basking in the sun's warmth, but he suspected she was simply clearing her mind. He felt her power brush across him. Not intrusively, just that light touch that she used to identify those nearby. Bobby twitched as she did the same to him, her link to him not nearly as strong as to Darien, but more than enough for her to easily locate and identify her friend and partner provided he was within her range.

"And she's gone," Darien stated quietly not wanting to disturb her concentration. "You think she's right? Was this just an excuse for the Official to bring back Kev?"

Bobby grunted as if kicked then rolled and sat up, facing Darien directly to answer "Does it really matter? What's done is done. We need to deal with it and move on."

That non-answer told Darien everything he needed and didn’t really want to know. Hobbes didn’t like that Kevin had made a return appearance. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "Officialed again."

Hobbes nodded. "Looks that way. Question is why he wanted your bro back playing for the home team."

That was a loaded question no matter how you looked at it and yet a very simple one to answer. "The gland, what else?"

Hobbes shook his head. "That don’t make no sense. Between the kid and Claire they could have new glands up and running in months. Building a new gland isn't the problem, building one without the madness is."

Darien nodded in agreement. "True. Would just need to follow the existing recipe, so to speak. Problem is that it has that one tiny flaw."

"A'course the 'Fish might not want the flaw removed. Keeps his agents from going rogue if they have to go to him for the control factor. The kid at the very least wouldn’t like that."

Darien wished his friend were wrong, but suspected the Official would want the madness to remain as part of the gland design no matter who had one implanted. Guaranteed the bad guys couldn't sway his agents to the dark side if the Counteragent were kept under tight wraps. A captured agent would eventually implode during Stage Five, or so Darien suspected, rendering him useless to whatever agency had managed to capture him. Yeah, there was the whole reverse engineering thing to consider, but the agent wouldn’t exactly need to be left alive for that. "So Kev really is here to discover a removal technique? I don’t buy that, not for a hot second."

"Neither do I, Fawkes, but on this occasion we're kinda stuck with the whole shut up and soldier routine. He's told us to locate Claire and nothing else."

"You do realize locate does not mean rescue, right?" Darien pointed out, having come to that realization only after Alyx had returned home. "Could... and I know this sounds crazy, could the 'Fish want her to not be found? Would he leave her with Arnaud, especially if it furthered his plan, whatever it is?"

Hobbes rubbed the top of his head with one hand, staring off into the distance as he thought about that. "Maybe? I'd hate to think he'd be willing to sacrifice her over this, but he definitely has motives we will never understand. But ultimately we are all nothing more than tools and easily replaced."

Not what Darien wanted to hear, but at least it was an honest and realistic answer. "Just means I... we need to make ourselves so invaluable that he can’t afford to replace us."

"Speak for yourself. Aside from working with you and the kid I ain't got no special skills." Bobby raised a hand to stave off any arguments. "I'm good, but there's those just as good without the issues I have, so don’t waste your time defending me." He gave a wry twist to his lips. "Thanks for wanting to, but I know the score."

Darien ducked his head for a moment as he debated how best to answer. "I know, but I'm my best with you around. That alone makes it in the 'Fish's best interest in keeping you alive and kicking."

Hobbes' look turned shockingly serious. They were friends and partners, yes, but it wasn't often the whys of it were brought out into the open to be discussed. "Fawkes..." he trailed off sounding choked then got hold of himself. "I could say the same, but then you'd go around thinking you were something special."

Darien played mock shocked. "I'm not special? I think I'm hurt."

Hobbes laughed softly. "You mook. Kid's been a bit of an influence on you too."

"Yeah, I guess. That a good thing or a bad one?"

"Neither. It is what it is." Hobbes shifted, adjusting his holster before picking up his beer and downing a fair swallow, as if the conversation were one he didn’t really want to have. "Fawkes, I wouldn’t be your friend if I didn’t like you, but in a real world situation we'd've never met."

Hard to argue with that. "I'm glad we did, Bobby. I want that on the record."

"Same here, my friend." Bobby held out his fist for a knuckle bump, which Darien returned with a grin. "We just need to stick together and there ain't nothing that can stop us."

"You really believe that?"

"With the kid on our side? Oh hell yes."

Darien shook his head, not disagreeing so much as wondering when Alyx had become the center of their tiny universe. Okay, so he knew when she had for him, but for Bobby? The same Bobby Hobbes whose paranoia had caused him to distrust her from the moment they'd met. It had taken months for Bobby to accept her and treat her as a partner, much less call her friend. Things had changed a lot and for the better. It gave him hope that everything would work out for the best, including this visit from his brother.

Alyx shifted then, her head tipping to the right, arm coming up to point off towards the west. "Thattaway," she mumbled.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty." Darien shifted enough to give her a hug.

"You found the Keep?"

"Uh, yes... and no." She turned her head to nuzzle Darien's neck, making him sigh softly. He could feel she needed the contact to help her reconnect. A search of this kind was hard on her and there was always the risk she would get lost in the thousands of minds in the city laid out before them. Contact, physical contact seemed to help the most, and it wasn't like he minded cuddling even if the locale was less private than he preferred.

Bobby rubbed his eyes. "Kid..."

"I can sense she's in that direction, but can't pinpoint her precise location," she explained, sitting up and stretching her arms up over her head.

Darien could hear the pops as her joints settled back into proper position. "You'll be able to find her?"

"Quite possibly? My connection isn’t as strong to her as I would prefer for tracking purposes. If I were closer..." She shrugged. "She doesn't live in the back of my head the way you do, bub."

Hobbes snickered.

"But could you do it again?" Darien asked, an idea taking hold.

"Yes, why?"

"Hobbesy, you got a map of the city in the van?"

Hobbes' eyes narrowed for a moment then widened as he caught on. "Fawkes," he wagged a finger in his partner's direction, "your above average is showing."

Darien sat up, one hand remaining on Alyx's shoulder. "Think it'll work?"

"Worth a try, anyway. Let's pack up and give it a go."

"How about filling in the girl with the headache?" Alyx requested, voice only a touch plaintive.

"We are going play that old game of triangulation," Hobbes explained as he began to pack up the leftovers.

"Oh... Why didn't I think of that?" Alyx grumbled.

" 'Cause you weren't even certain you could find her, that's why," Darien told her as he tapped her on the nose. He turned back to Bobby. "What do you think, six points?"

"Minimum, eight would be better. Have to see how long the kid can do her trick and how far out we have to go. Thattaway could be Hawaii for all we know," Hobbes pointed out, waving for them to vacate the blanket.

Alyx stood and grabbed her shoes. "I doubt she's _that_ far away. Just too far for me to make a direct connection."

"Not knocking it, kid. It's more than we had ten minutes ago." He folded the blanket while Darien packed up the leftovers into the quite literal picnic basket they'd brought along. Alyx was more of a boy scout than either of them, and always seemed to be prepared for any eventuality. Darien liked that about her. She never made a huge fuss about any of it, just did it as if able to anticipate any need of theirs.

"Oh yeah, lots more," she snarked. "This could just be all in my head, y'know."

One eyebrow rose on Hobbes' forehead and Darien snorted in amusement.

"Jeez, guys, you know what I meant."

"Yeah, we do, kid, but I'm trying to look positive here." Hobbes tossed the blanket over one shoulder and headed for the nearest trash can. "Let's get a move on, it’s gonna take a couple hours to circle the city and this old dog is going to need to sleep at some point tonight."

"Pit stop first." Both men paused to look at her. "What? I am a girl and pragmatic. Go when you can hold it when you can't. Five minutes is not going to make a bit of difference."

Darien shrugged. "She has a point."

"She most certainly does," Hobbes agreed. "Pit stop then meet at the van."

"Aye, aye, captain," Alyx said, complete with salute. She oriented then trotted off towards the nearest public restrooms.

"She's worried as all get out, Bobby," Darien confided as soon as Alyx had moved out of earshot.

"We all are, Fawkes. Claire ain't just a co-worker." Hobbes continued to the parking lot where the shiny, new black van waited for them. Darien slid the side door open after Bobby hit the unlock button on the key ring. They stowed the basket and blanket in the back then Darien sat on the lip to wait for Alyx to make her appearance. Hobbes climbed in, ransacking one of the storage bins, coming up with a huge map of San Diego County.

"Uh, overkill much?"

"Don’t have one of just the city. 'Sides she might not be in downtown. Need to cover the whole area." He unrolled the map on the floor of the van. "We're here." He put an X on their current location. Due to the size of the map, the results were going to be approximate only, but better than the nothing they were currently working with. "See if you can find a ruler would you?"

Darien shifted about and headed for the toolbox, as a twelve-inch ruler wouldn’t do them much good, and came up with a twenty-foot tape measure instead. A pencil wedged in the corner provided the next piece they would need. "Here you go." He handed over the items and watched as Hobbes went to work lining up the big X that was them and orienting the tape measure for the west.

"I'll wait for the kid to make sure I've got the alignment close."

"Close enough, Bobby," Alyx said causing Hobbes twitch in reaction.

Darien hid his better, but had been just as surprised by her apparent sudden return.

"Three degrees clockwise and trace the left side and you should be good." She plopped herself down next to Darien and he draped a casual arm about her shoulders. "Your turn, boys. I'll make sure everything is ready to go when you get back."

Hobbes grumbled under his breath but nodded. "Might as well. C'mon, Fawkes, let's hit the head."

 

…

 

It took close to four hours to circle the city and fill in eight points on the map. They went as far west as Coranado, south to the lovely National City, and, because of the curve of the bay all the way over to Shoreline Park and the Cabrillo National Monument. All the lines converged smack dab in the middle of downtown amongst the towering skyscrapers of this city by the sea. By then Alyx had been nursing a headache of whiny proportions and Hobbes had decreed it a day. They had narrowed their search down to a couple city blocks, sadly said city blocks were packed with dozens of buildings all thirty stories tall or better. Still it was a vast improvement over the not having a frickin' clue of just a few hours prior.

They'd returned to the Agency to retrieve cars and, in Alyx's case, data. Thumb drive in hand she'd made her way down to the Keep with Darien by her side and made copies of those files no one else had been able to get into, planning to use her cipher to decrypt them in the morning. Darien had the feeling she didn’t really want to look at those files, not wanting to intrude on the Keeper's research. It had been a long time since she'd felt it necessary to hack her way into the system to dig up the info she wanted. These days all she generally had to do was ask and the data would be given to her. Only the exigencies of the situation allowed her to justify what she plainly considered an abuse of her powers. Though, since she'd written the program herself, and hadn’t needed to use any of her flashier abilities to break in, the point was essentially a moot one.

He followed her out to her car and then all the way to her apartment. He'd just wanted to make sure she took her meds and crawled into bed to sleep them off, but got side-tracked somewhere along the way. He'd intended to head home and give her some peace, but she'd wanted the company, her shielding not cooperating and leaving her with the buzz of a thousand other minds in the back of hers. Considering it hadn’t been all that long since she'd put her mind back together, they had no interest in everything falling apart, and in truth he wanted to spend some time with her. She'd been gone for far too long and one afternoon together, with work no less, was not enough to make up for it. So, instead of high quality narcotics that would knock her out for hours, it was hot tea and some acupressure in hopes of relieving the worst of the pain.

That of course had led to them ending up in bed with little intention of sleeping for quite some time. Probably not the best thing for Alyx's headache, but it hadn’t really seemed to matter at the time. They'd wanted each other and the rest of the universe fell to the wayside while they took the time to get reacquainted. He fell asleep with the realization that she had never outlined her concerns about sharing headspace with Kevin.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Kevin opened his eyes and stared the wooden canopy above him. The subtle Celtic knotwork carved into it was exquisite, but not the sight he’d become accustomed to waking up to over the last week. He had become very well acquainted with the ceiling of Darien’s small apartment. Though he had to admit this particular bed was far more comfortable than the one his brother had chosen for his own. Not that creature comforts had ever been big on his list of necessities, but there had been occasions when it had been something to revel in. He shifted slightly enjoying the feel of the cotton sheets, the depth and softness to the mattress and perfect support in the pillows under his head. This... this was nice.

Still, it didn’t explain where the devil he was. He couldn’t see much, just gauzy curtains enclosing the bed in a hazy light, through which he could make out screens blocking off the rest of the room and the one wall to the right of the bed. “Darien, what the hell did you do?” he mused softly. The bed was huge, somewhere between a king and queen and to his untrained eye the design had been based on an eighteenth century canopy bed. Which for an instant made him wonder if something had gone wrong and he'd been kidnapped or had woken in yet another person's body... which made no sense, but since he'd never expected to wake up in Darien's made it at least plausible. The headboard had a series of built in shelves, one of which held a thoroughly modern digital clock proclaiming it was just after seven a.m. There were easily a half dozen books and not one, but two book lights clipped in place, as if the bed were normally shared by two people. As he began to push himself into a seated position he realized he wasn’t alone in the bed. Shifting the covers slightly revealed vivid red hair attached to a very female body... a decidedly unclothed female body.

She shifted then, burying her face into his side with a sigh, her arm draped comfortably across his abdomen and making him realize that he was in the same state of undress.

He sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly, taking a few moments to put the pieces together. Darien... he was in Darien's body. Darien who had a relationship with a co-worker, whom he'd met just... yesterday as far as his time sense was concerned. This must be her bed they were in. She had gone to sleep with Darien and now, unbeknownst to her, would be about to wake up with someone else entirely.

Grumbling about brothers and their inability to think beyond their immediate wants, Kevin tried to gently slip out from beneath Alyx's arm and off the bed only to misjudge the distance and land on the hard wood floor with a solid thump that probably woke any neighbors that might live beneath her.

“Aw, crap," he muttered hoping not to disturb her slumber. The last thing he wanted was to have the conversation that would occur should she wake up. Not spotting any clothes in the immediate vicinity, he tugged the comforter off the bed in a vain effort to feel marginally less exposed.

"What's the matter?" Alyx mumbled from the bed. He watched as she shifted, sliding sideways until he could see her face amongst the riotous explosion of red curls. She rubbed one eye and tried to focus on him. "Nightmare?"

Kevin shook his head, not certain what to say as his body reacted to the sleepy countenance of the woman on the bed beside him much to his consternation in a perfectly natural, but sadly for him, embarrassing fashion. _He_ might be in control, but the body he wore still responded as if Darien were the one awake. This... this could be a problem. He ran his hands through his hair, grumbling imprecations under his breath.

"Darien, you okay?" she asked, the concern in her voice very real and making him realize that nightmares were apparently a common occurrence for his brother.

"I'm not Darien," he finally stated, irritation creeping into his voice. It would have been nice if at least one of them had remembered that he and not Darien would be waking up.

"Shit," she grumbled softly. She glanced at the clock on the headboard and frowned. "My apologies, Kevin," her tone had become strangely formal and his body's interest in returning to the bed wavered as if it knew the tide had changed. "We were..." She paused as if trying to gather her thoughts.

"Enjoying welcome home sex?" Kevin suggested, hoping the bluntness would ease the discomfort he could practically feel coming off of her.

She shrugged. "I’d been gone almost three weeks, little chance it wasn't going to happen."

Kevin felt his cheeks heat up even as that wavering interest returned in full. He might not have been interested beyond what any male might feel for a beautiful woman, but the body he wore was more than ready to crawl back into that bed and into her. He got to his feet, the comforter wrapped securely about his waist and hopefully hiding exactly how interested he appeared to be in her. "Can I hope Darien came prepared for an overnight stay?"

Alyx sighed heavily, one hand running through her hair and doing nothing to tame the unruly mass of curls. "No, but I've got you covered. Closet is off the bathroom; the smaller bureau to the left should have his emergency stash of clothes in it. Probably won’t be your usual style, but most of it is stuff I bought him. You should be able to find something that meets your lofty standards."

Her tone had almost hit sneering towards the end, but he shook it off as his imagination. He nodded tightly and shuffled away, finding the bathroom without too much trouble. As he was shutting the door, he heard her start laughing quietly. For long moment he leaned against the closed door, thinking. Part of him wanted to be so damn mad at Darien for being so careless. He should have known better. After all it wasn’t as if he were the only one using this body at the moment. Pushing away from the door, he locked it, and dropped the comforter to the floor. The bathroom was gorgeous and neat as a pin, even with the collection of Darien’s hair crap lined along the counter.

Turning on the shower, he took a moment to glance at himself -- Darien -- in the mirror unable to _not_ notice the continuing reaction of one particular part of his anatomy. A completely unexpected response and weird to say the least. This whole situation was weird and he wished he had more detailed information on how this had been brought about. But other than the bare bones file on the Simon Cole incident, which admittedly did include the conclusions Claire had come to about the unique melding of the pineal and Quicksilver glands, he just did not have enough data. This... his resurrection in his brother's body should not have been possible with the gland he had designed. Not in any way shape or form. And _that_ was part of the reason he'd been taking so long to compile the various sources of data on the gland. If this extra ability had somehow been programmed into the gland, by accident -- or perhaps by design... Arnaud's design that is -- it might very well affect the possibility for removal.

And _that_ would be a serious problem.

He stepped into the shower, the various versions of the gland and Quicksilver dancing in his mind as he tried to reconcile the different versions. He'd begun working on a viable removal technique after Cole had gone insane and been killed, not wanting another person to suffer as he had should the next round of human testing also not go as planned, but the mRNA sample that had allowed him to awake in his brother's body had been taken prior to it's completion. He knew it could be done, was certain of it, but only with the original gland. This scary, madness laced version had been changed just enough that all the headway he'd made had essentially been for naught. Leaving him to start from scratch and without the information he needed to resolve the problem in a reasonable amount of time.

It was looking to take months and not the days demanded by Arnaud.

And that fact alone meant someone else might very well die and all because he'd screwed up. Someone he cared about. And didn't that just make for the paradigm shift of the day. He _knew_ Claire, had spent a year getting to know her the way few others had. Though the same could be said for her. He’d opened up to her about his plans the way he had with few others, and that... _that_ might very well be the reason she had taken the job here. She actually had some prior knowledge of the project. Which in a weird twist of fate would make this situation all his fault. And that was the last thing he wanted on his conscience.

He shook off that depressing thought. Work the problem and it would get solved. Simple as that. A maxim he had lived by and achieved most of his life. He just had to do it again with a deadlier than usual deadline staring him down.

 

 

When he came out dressed he wore a pair of dark brown khakis and an off-white long-sleeved v-neck shirt. Neither exactly his style, but they would do until he could get to some real clothes. Though he could understand why Darien might wear them and why Alyx might have bought them for him. They looked damn good on him; they just felt awkward for Kevin who was far more used to suits and lab coats. Given how young he’d been when getting started, he had always made sure to maintain that air of professionalism. And jeans and t-shirts just didn’t cut it, at least not in his opinion.

He found Alyx standing by one of the metal I-beams wearing workout clothes. Skintight leggings, running shoes, and an aerobic top under a half-zipped sweatshirt bearing the Fish and Game logo. He had no idea where they had come from, unless she'd managed to sneak through the bathroom and into the closet, and back out without him noticing. He was readying himself to ask, but she didn’t give him a chance to say anything. “Kevin, I want to apologize again. We had a long day yesterday and didn’t think... didn’t take you into consideration when making our sleeping arrangements. I can assure you it won’t happen again.”

“Alyx--”

She cut him off.

“I’m heading out for a run. Coffee is made; the travel mug is on the counter. Help yourself to whatever you like. I’m not a big breakfast eater, but there’s usually fresh fruit around for Darien.” She moved over to the counter and lifted a set of keys. “These are to Darien’s car. If you go out the door and to the right, you’ll find the elevator. Press the ‘G’ and that’ll be the garage. His car is parked next to the mine, a silver Jag.” She set the keys down and backed away. “I’ll be in the office in a couple hours if you need to speak to me."

“Alyx... wait.” Kevin followed her, catching up with her at the door. As soon as he got near her, his body once again reacted, though not with the so obvious display of earlier, just a surprise sudden tightening in his gut and chest. Damn. She, thankfully, kept her head tipped down, not willing to meet his eyes. “Look, I don’t want to get between you and Darien--"

“Kind of difficult not to, don’t you think?” She managed to lift her head far enough to look at his chest, but refused to raise it any further. "Shit," she muttered and Kevin had just enough smarts to realize that she was having her own share of unexpected physical responses, which made sense. Who was driving had changed; nothing else. He would still look, smell, and sound like Darien and if it were disconcerting for him it must be doubly so for her.

Her voice faint she pleaded, “I have got to get out of here, Kevin. Please.”

“Sure.” He moved out of her way and watched as she slid open the door and slipped out into the hall, all but running to the elevator from the sound of it. Once he’d shut the door, he turned to go to the kitchen to hunt for some breakfast to go with the coffee he could smell, pondering how to deal with the situation. It was little wonder Charlie hadn’t wanted them to meet, why her being out of town had been so convenient. Even after so short a time it had been made obvious that she was devoted to Darien and now here he was intruding on their lives. For a good cause, but going to bed with one man and waking up with a virtual stranger must be a less than enjoyable experience.

Though, it appeared that she had accepted that he was indeed Kevin and not a cuckoo slipped into the nest. She had a point, he could be anyone, and there would be no real way for him to prove otherwise. Clearly, she did not trust easily, which simply meant he would need to earn it. The couple hours they'd spent, no matter how reluctantly on her part, discussing the gland the other night had told him exactly how very, _very_ smart she was and he fully intended in making use of that intelligence to solve the removal issue. With her it might very well take half the time he'd projected to solve the problem. He just needed to convince her that working together would be in both their best interest. Of course, he had to convince Charlie first. The Official might very well continue his efforts to keep the two of them separate no matter that it would not be a logical use of their abilities or time. And time was most certainly of the essence.

He had not one, but two lives to save for lack of a better term: Claire's and Darien's. His brother needed this removal solution as much as Arnaud did. While Kevin still hadn't been granted full access to the system and therefore did not know all the details of what had transpired since Darien had become possessor of the gland, Hobbes had dropped more than enough hints which led Kevin to believe the last couple of years overall had been miserable fear-filled ones for his brother. And yet Darien seemed different, as if he had finally figured out what to do with his life, had found his place in the world and that wasn't such a bad thing... was it?

Once again Kevin wished he could speak to him face-to-face, he had so many questions, wanted to know so very much, but because of the situation remained unable to do so. Notes left for each other didn’t seem to be the proper medium for asking personal questions. No, he would need to think of another way... if he could find the time. His focus needed to be on finding the solution not in making certain his layabout brother was content with the hand life had dealt him.

In the meantime, he needed to get to the Agency and get to work.

 

 

"You seen the kid?"

Kevin twitched and spun about to see Hobbes standing in the doorway with an expectant look upon his face. "What?" He really had failed to understand what had been said, his mind still trying to reconcile the two versions of the gland he'd been comparing. He'd finished reconstructing the original gland data a few hours ago and had moved on to the laborious task of figuring out exactly what the hell Arnaud had done to his creation. The new beta reagent had worked, obviously, but that damn toxin producing addition was not tied directly to it and had taken up residence somewhere else in the makeup of the gland. According to Claire's notes, it was secreted along with the Quicksilver itself, but was not directly tied to it, as any Quicksilver, be it shed or preserved liquid did not contain the toxin. Which mean the gland was being used as the means to produce as well as secrete it. How it had been managed without causing any other complications to the complexities of the gland itself was astonishing, but his fascination with the artistry needed to create that one tiny, yet oh so important addition, was wasted as he needed to find out where in the gland it was being created in order to either eliminate it or come up with a work around that would allow his planned removal technique to work.

"Have you seen the kid... Alyx?"

His focus still on the data scrolling by on the computer screen he answered to the best of his ability. "Uh, not since this morning, why?"

" 'Cause I need to use her brain, that's why," Hobbes responded gruffly.

Darien's partner hadn’t been too thrilled with the sharing of his body, but hadn’t exactly been given a vote on the matter either, and it showed. "As do I, actually." He turned back to the computer and paused the program, deciding it could wait until later, preferably after he spoke to Alyx and got the input he needed from her. "Do you know where she might be?"

Hobbes shook his head. "She's not in her office." He pondered for a moment. "I know she wanted to have a chat with Doc Jennings."

Kevin got the impression that 'have a chat' meant something other than polite conversation, and this after having met the woman exactly twice. He had already figured out she had a very low tolerance for stupid and wouldn’t hesitate to point out when a particular person was suffering from said condition. "Then perhaps we should check Lab one-oh-one as that is most likely where Dr. Jennings will be," Kevin suggested, getting to his feet and removing the lab coat he'd put on as a matter of course.

"Laundry day?" Hobbes questioned.

"What? No, just didn’t bother running by Darien's place to change," he explained only to see a look of utter confusion spring to life on Hobbes' face. He sighed heavily hating the fact that he was going to have to explain what to him should have been obvious. "I woke up at Miss Silver's place, the selection of clothes she had available was limited."

Hobbes eyes widened. "Oh." Then he began to chuckle softly. "Must have been an interesting way to start the day."

Kevin managed a wry smile instead of a glare of irritation. "That would be one way to describe it."

 

Hobbes led the way, and they made their way through the maze of halls from Lab Three, where Kevin had being spending a majority of his time, to the one he knew had been nicknamed the Keep, which was clearly a derivation of the title Keeper, as it was Claire's main lab and the one where the work on the gland was completed. There were a dozen labs of varying sizes in the building, none as secure or suitable in his opinion as Perseus, but did allow everything to remain in one place. Travel to Perseus had always been an issue, but made sense from secrecy standpoint.

Hobbes swiped his card and waited for the door to slide open. They walked into a rant of epic proportions being handed down by Alyx onto a defiant Dr. Jennings, who simply stood there, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed in anger.

“Damn it. It's too bloody dangerous. Neither you nor Claire have any idea what long term exposure to the memory RNA could do to the gland or Darien. What if after a while it can’t be purged? What if Kevin sets up permanent residence in the gland, or in Darien’s psyche?” Alyx was pissed, both men could hear it in her voice, but when Kevin tried to make their arrival known, Hobbes stopped him with a hand on his arm and shake of his head. The elder agent plainly wanted to hear what Alyx was saying.

“All the models say--” Jennings tried only to be cut off.

“All the models are based on a single incident. Cole remained dormant for months because of the lower levels of memory RNA and he was only fully active for what? Three days at most?” Alyx’s voice had lowered to a dangerous burr. “Dare had all sorts of problems including aural and visual hallucinations." She threw her arms wide then stabbed one down towards the floor. "What happens if Kevin starts asserting himself during Darien’s conscious periods? Once the RNA has established itself in the gland, there’s no way to tell what could happen. Bleed over of memories is entirely possible. Kevin’s ‘memories’ are being stored in Darien’s brain, not in the gland. What happens if he starts remembering things Kevin has done?” She finally ran down and sucked in a deep breath. “Shit, this was just plain stupid.”

Hobbes cleared his throat before the burgeoning argument had a chance to continue.

Jennings turned and leveled glared at them for the interruption.

Kevin had listened carefully to every word once he'd realized exactly what Alyx had been reaming the doctor out for. Not that Jennings was to blame, but he had been the one to administer the mRNA and currently monitored the situation. None of the issues she'd thrown at Jennings had ever been mentioned to Kevin, and that worried him, because every concern she had listed were definitely in the realm of possibility. He'd been sharing this body for going on a week now and while he hadn’t noticed any of those issues, he also hadn’t been watching for them either.

"How possible is any of that?” Kevin was pretty damn certain that Darien would not want to know that he might very well be sharing head space with his brother for all of eternity.

“Very,” Alyx snarled, tone dead serious and icy cold. Clearly there was no love lost between her and Jennings.

“Unlikely,” Jennings argued, matching her glare for glare. "You have no more idea than I what will happen. You're simply basing your assumptions on the worst case scenario... as usual."

"Wow, taking into account all the possible risks before doing something that could potentially permanently damage brain function, didn’t know that was the wrong way to go," she sneered, taking a single step towards Jennings that made the man blanch even as he straightened to his full height in clear defiance. "You are nothing but the Official's toady and haven’t clue what I may or may not know." She sniffed in obvious disdain. "You're supposed to be his doctor, I highly suggest you begin to act like one or you may find yourself replaced... with prejudice."

Hobbes stepped forward and set a hand on her arm. "Easy, kid, don’t go shooting the messenger," he turned a dark look on Jennings, "least not till we’re certain he deserves it."

Jennings huffed. "Don’t worry, Agent Hobbes, I know who I take my orders from, and it is not _her_." He sneered the last in clear dismissal of not only her but of every concern she had made him quite vocally aware of.

Alyx bristled, Hobbes setting both hands on her shoulders in an effort to restrain her. Above them, all the lights in the room began to flicker, causing him to look upwards with a frown.

"Perhaps not," Kevin said, making certain to sneer just as much as the doctor had, "but I would highly recommend that you listen to her." He stepped forward, glancing at Alyx as he did so, surprised at the bland, almost bored look adorning her features. Her eyes, however, threatened serious bodily harm for the good doctor should he continue being an idiot. "Have you... or anyone for that matter, run any simulations as to the potential risks for long term mRNA use within the gland?"

Jennings shook his head. "Not that I am aware of, but I have not been granted full access to the former Keeper's files yet. Something about my security clearance."

Alyx jumped on the man's words. " 'Former Keeper? Where in the name of all that is holy would you get the idea you are _anything_ but a temporary replacement?"

Kevin would swear she saw actual light flash in her eyes she was so angry, but it had to have been a trick of the still flickering lights. "Easy, Alyx," Kevin said softly, hoping that she would listen to him and not turn her frightful ire upon him instead. "We may yet need him."

"Doubtful," she sneered. "He's just a brown noser, the Official's yes man and will do whatever he is told, even if it’s to the detriment of Dar... both of you." She turned slightly to meet Kevin's eyes, Bobby's grip on her shoulders having only tightened instead of relaxing.

"Yes, he is, but he has the data I need," Kevin explained in a soft voice, needing her to calm down and not damage the man until after they'd made use of him.

Hobbes snorted. "He don’t know Jack. Kid has all the data you need... or can get to it, I'm betting." He drew Alyx... his partner in closer to him, which seemed odd, but didn’t seem to bother her one whit. "You don't need _him_." Hobbes gave Kevin a look fraught with meaning and while he didn’t understand the specifics, got the message that Jennings was probably a dead end no matter how he spun his tale. Jennings would only get Kevin the information the Officialwanted him to have. And that could be little or nothing if Alyx's suspicions had even the tiniest kernel of truth to them.

"I know everything I need to complete my job," Jennings snapped. "And it is none of your concern, you're just another agent. You go do your job, and I'll do mine."

"Uh oh," Hobbes muttered under his breath barely loud enough to be heard.

Alyx laughed; the sound bitter and harsh to Kevin's ears. It caused a thrill of adrenaline to surge through his veins, his body aware of the threat buried within the sound even if he personally wasn't.

Hobbes tipped his head down to speak softly in her ear, not that it seemed to do much to calm her, but at least Jennings remained alive for the moment. The man might prove useful... though Kevin now seriously doubted it.

"Doc, what say we get out of here before the kid turns this mook inside out," Hobbes suggested, hands still gripping her shoulders firmly, as if he knew exactly what she might do should he release her.

Kevin nodded. "I think that might be the best plan." He glanced over at Jennings, who wore a smug satisfied smile that seemed to indicate he thought he'd won this round. Kevin knew better. Any information he might need from any of them would not be forthcoming. He’d gathered that Alyx helped Claire with the Counteragent and inhibitor and monitoring of Darien, no reason, if she were willing, of course, that she could not continue to do so. In fact, she would, based on the concerns about the current situation, probably be better suited to monitor the gland and the effects the mRNA on both it and the host... Darien. She would give a damn, unlike Jennings, who clearly cared no more than what it took to toe the line. Appropriate for a Keeper, Kevin supposed, but there was a vast difference between remaining detached and failing to care for your patient. Jennings had walked well past that line and onto the wrong side; it should be a balancing act, not a one-sided action.

Hobbes kept a firm grip on Alyx until they were out in the hall and the door had shut behind them. "Doc, you got questions for the kid?"

Kevin nodded. "I'm working in Lab Three."

Alyx shivered from head to toe, the lights in the hall taking their turn at flickering.

"Ah, how about lunch. You working on a laptop?"

"Yes, but..." Kevin trailed off, at the look on Hobbes face. Whatever they wanted to discuss they did not want to do it in this building. He might not be an agent, but he understood the need for secrecy and security. Fair bet every inch of this building was monitored in some way, he'd found the cameras and audio pick ups in the lab, which he'd expected, but now found far more suspicious than something for his protection. "All right, I'll grab my laptop and meet you... where?"

"The van's out front, be there in five."

Kevin nodded and watched as the pair moved off, presumably to gather whatever gear they needed to make this a working lunch. He had more than enough smarts to get that they suspected something, and the fact that they seemed to be trusting he would be on their side of it told him something of great import, he just wished he knew what it was.

He took longer than Hobbes had decreed, but he'd wanted to make certain he had everything he might need, granted that had included just the laptop and the lab book he was currently writing his notes in, but making that decision had taken longer than he'd planned, debating and discarding a half dozen other items as truly unnecessary for this impromptu meeting. Hobbes and Alyx were talking quietly in the back of the van when he arrived, the side door wide open, and the appearance that nothing unusual had been taking place being broadcast by the two. He wondered silently when he'd become so observant of these two, granted he'd spent a fair amount of time with Hobbes during the past week, but Alyx he'd met exactly twice and therefore should not be able to read her quite so well. He supposed it could be Darien's reactions he was cueing in on, but that would mean... He couldn’t be certain what that meant and knowing it would require weeks to figure it out, weeks they did not have, so he simply filed the information away for later perusal.

As soon as the pair realized he'd arrived, their discussion ended and Kevin sighed softly. They didn’t yet trust him, not really, and he couldn't blame them, especially Alyx. "Where do you want me?" he asked, choosing to defer to the partners in their territory.

"Take shotgun, Doc. Kid'll ride in back," Hobbes answered as he moved forward into the driver's seat.

"Alyx, I don’t mind sitting in back," Kevin offered, unable to not do the gentlemanly thing. He might have spent most of his formative years with his nose buried in a book, but that hadn’t prevented Aunt Celia from making certain he knew how to behave properly. In this day and age, that proper behavior was often considered outdated, but he'd met more than one woman who'd appreciated it. He could only make the effort and hope for the best.

Alyx managed the tiniest hint of a smile for him. "No need, I'm used to it. Plus it lets me play with all the toys."

"All right then." He gave he a nod and climbed in. setting the laptop case in the foot well then buckling in. "May I inquire as to where we are going?"

"Place nearby where we can eat and talk," Hobbes told him as he started the engine with a roar.

Kevin became quickly thankful that he'd put on the seatbelt as Hobbes drove like a madman, weaving in and out of traffic, rushing lights, made unexpected turns without warning. He continued his antics until Alyx suddenly said, "We're clear."

Until that moment Kevin hadn’t figured out why Hobbes seemed to be driving so recklessly: he'd been checking for and losing a tail. "Who was following us?'

Hobbes shrugged. "Does it matter? We lost 'em. Kid, the van still clean?"

"Yup," she assured him. "Outdoors and public, if you would. That local place over on Harbor by the docks would be good."

"Exactly, what I was thinking, kid. Won’t have power for your toys though."

Kevin turned about in his seat to watch her, feeling as if he only understood about half of the conversation taking place in front of him.

"Right, like that's ever an issue with me around," she snarked, making Hobbes snort in amusement.

"Sorry, kid, wasn't sure if you wanted to clue the doc in or not and didn’t want to spill the beans."

"No worries, Bobby. I have the feeling things will go faster if understands what he's dealing with," Alyx responded meeting Kevin's eyes for an instant before turning away and staring in seeming fascination at the desktop before her.

Kevin turned to Hobbes. "Should I be confused?"

Hobbes chuckled softly. "Probably. Though once you understand you might wish you didn’t know."

Kevin sighed heavily. "How will any of this help?"

"Kevin, I know you have no reason to, but give us the benefit of the doubt for a little while, please. I'll answer everything I can, but not until you have the background data you need." Alyx sounded tired and irritated.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Kevin asked, suddenly realizing he had no idea when exactly Darien had crawled into bed for actual sleep.

She grumbled under her breath for a few moments. "Not enough, and I've been so focused on work, I've utterly failed to eat anything of substance."

"Which is why I'm buying you lunch, kid. I know when you need to refuel and I'd say you hit that point about three hours ago." Hobbes kept his tone light, which seemed to work at staving off a cranky response from Alyx.

"Hey, I got that program up and running. We do kind of need it for this to stand a chance of working."

"Not complaining, kid, but without Fawkes along..." he frowned and turned his head slightly to glance at Kevin, " _our_ Fawkes, that is, you tend to forget to take care of yourself." He shifted slightly to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. "You work too hard."

She pouted. "Well, not like I have much choice right now, do I? Too much to do and way too little time to do it in. If I have to go short on sleep and drop a few pounds to get the situation resolved then so be it."

"Kid..." Hobbes shook his head. "We can’t afford to lose you too," he finally stated, his voice cracking on the words, much to Kevin's surprise. Hobbes really cared about her and was beginning to suspect that stood true for Darien and Claire as well. This wasn't just a job, this involved his friends and he was clearly bound and determined to resolve the situation to the best of his ability.

Hobbes pulled into a parking lot and found a space for the van, and, once the vehicle had been shut off, turned about to give Alyx the evil eye. She managed a laugh. "Yes, boss. Let’s get lunch and get started. This is going to take a few hours."

 _Hours? What in heaven's name were they planning to do?_ "I can’t afford that much time away from my work," Kevin argued even as Hobbes opened his door and slid out into the bright afternoon sunshine. Kevin followed suit, slinging the laptop bag over his shoulder once his feet were on the ground.

Alyx snorted. "And you can’t afford to not have this data," he heard her say as he swung the door shut.

Hobbes slid open the side door. "C'mon, kid. Doc'll figure it out once you give him the info I'm sure you have stashed away somewhere on you."

She pouted, actually pouted much to Kevin's confusion and amazement. "Hobbesy, stop telling him about the favors before we've got the party started," she complained in a whiny voice that he could tell was patently fake. The interplay between the two of them remained a constant source of confusion for Kevin. He'd had colleagues that he also considered friends, but nothing like the closeness these two shared. Perhaps the danger and stress of their jobs had resulted in a familiarity that just couldn’t be found between coworkers in the research field.

He casually reached out to help her down, when his hand found hers she jumped about half a mile and snapped, "Don’t touch me," loud enough to draw the attention of passerby.

Kevin backed up two steps quickly, whacking into the side mirror of the van in his haste to get away from her.

"Easy, kid," Hobbes soothed, shooting a glare at Kevin.

Kevin huffed in irritation. "I was just being polite," he argued. "Is it really that offensive to you?"

Alyx stood there shaking like a leaf, taking in long deep breaths in an effort to get herself back under control, though he had no idea why or what his simple gesture had done to set her off.

"Doc, I'm thinking something else is going on with the kid. Let’s grab a table and get some food into her. Maybe then she’ll be able to explain."

Kevin, feeling like the odd man out on this occasion, could only nod and try to be patient. He clearly had no understanding of what was going on, whereas Hobbes did, deferring to his expertise was the only recourse open to him. "Sounds like a good idea. Outside?"

Hobbes nodded and grabbed Alyx's laptop bag from the rear, and slid the door shut. "Yeah, grab that big six top over there," he said, directing Kevin with his chin.

Kevin did so, trying to ignore the fact that the two of them proceeded to have a short, intense conversation on the way over to the table. "Everything all right?" he asked cautiously as she sat down as far away as possible from him.

"I'm sorry, Kevin." She ran her face in her hands. "I'm still finding it more than a bit disconcerting to be unable to sense you."

"What does that mean?" Kevin asked, realizing once again that at least half of everything she'd said since they'd first met had made no sense whatsoever.

"Kid, now might be a good time to fill him in," Hobbes advised. "I'll grab us some chow to get started." He turned about without even asking what they wanted. Kevin would just have to hope it wouldn’t be anything too noxious. Darien ate some of the strangest things.

Alyx reached into her pocket and pulled out a jump drive. "This has all the pertinent Quicksilver files you should need as well as my basic file. Look them over and let me know if there is anything specific I can answer."

He pulled out the laptop and slid the drive into one of his USB ports. The files had been given stupidly simple names, which meant Alyx had gone through them and simplified the filing, in theory, so he could find what he needed quickly and easily and hopefully not because she thought he was that stupid. Then again it might have been done _because_ he was so smart and she not. Granted she clearly knew her way around a computer, and had been assisting Claire in the Keep, but being able to follow step by step instructions wasn't a sign of high intelligence, original ideas and creativity were.

Then he opened the file on the inhibitor, which he'd known about, but needed the details on to fully understand how it affected the gland in Darien's head and his potential removal technique.

He skimmed through at first, the info including Claire's various notations, and scans of the original handwritten pages done in a precise, neat handwriting he did not recognize. He went back to the beginning, reading Claire's notes in detail this time. "You designed the inhibitor?"

Alyx met his eyes over the top of her screen. "What? Oh, yeah. Claire helped, but I came up with the idea and base composition. Why?"

"But I thought you were a computer geek? Like Eberts."

"Master of assumptions that you are, read my file, then ask your questions." She shook her head and returned to whatever she'd been working on, ignoring him for the time being.

Better than snarling at him, he supposed. Closing the inhibitor file, he took her advice and opened hers. It took mere seconds for him to realize exactly why she'd taken umbrage with him calling her a "computer geek." Yes, she most certainly was a computer expert, but she was also a hell of a lot more. Food and drink appeared at his elbow, which he ate without really tasting it. He didn’t believe half of what he read, but wanted to get through the entire file before asking questions, and it was a fair bet that with Claire's thoroughness most of his queries would be answered if he just kept going.

When he finally dragged himself up out of the file, he had completely revised his opinion of Alyx and actually wondered how she'd managed to put up with his idiocy and hoped she would continue to do so. Hobbes was right, Kevin had no need of Jennings, Alyx would probably have or could get all the information he needed. Hell, she probably could have solved the situation herself if only the Official had called her back as soon as Claire had gone missing. Lots of what he had read was hard to believe, but not implausible. The theory was sound and one he was familiar with through his uncle. It hadn’t been a project he'd been interested in pursuing, but knew others probably had... most certainly had if the information in her file were true. If Darien was a miracle of modern science, she... she was... well, if he believed in God he would suspect that He'd had a hand in creating her.

She was... amazing.

Hobbes had a map spread out on the table and a notebook he was furiously scribbling in. Alyx was sipping at her drink while typing one-handed on her computer. "We still need the list of businesses in all these locations."

"I know, kid. We can do that at your place later."

"Why not back at the Agency. Couldn’t Eberts run the search for you and save you some time?"

Hobbes snorted. "Have you forgotten that there's a reason we're here and not back at your lab?"

"Yes, I suppose I have." Kevin glanced at the time on his screen only to realize they'd been here for two hours. And he'd barely scratched the surface of the files she'd given him. How was he supposed to get through all the data if he couldn’t go back to the lab? "What are you two working on?"

Alyx spun her laptop about showing what looked like blueprints for a high rise. "We are attempting to narrow down the location where Claire is being held."

"You know where she is?" Kevin couldn’t help himself and jumped on the good news.

"Rough area only. Got it down to a couple of square blocks, trouble is most of the space there is vertical. Kid's good, but even she can’t tell me which apartment she's in. Gotta play the triangulation game again and see if we can get it down to one building," Hobbes explained, plainly assuming Kevin would understand how exactly Alyx was going to manage that feat.

"Do I want to know how? I mean, I've skimmed your file, but I find most of it, frankly, hard to believe," Kevin stated, making an effort to keep his voice bland instead of disbelieving.

Hobbes chuckled. "Believe it, Doc. The kid here has superpowers and knows how to use them."

Alyx sighed and shook her head. "This from the man who was terrified of me once he realized I really could read his mind." She met Kevin's eyes with a look that was shockingly cold. "Look, I have a few talents, which the Official makes use of..."

"And whores out to whoever is willing to pay top dollar," Hobbes added in, making her smile.

"And I wanted to make certain you understood what you're dealing with, and how I can help, if you want it," she finished with a tiny shrug of her shoulders.

"No, I mean, why are you still here? With your skills, you could do anything you wanted. Why work for the Agency?" Kevin sounded serious, which he was and seemed to surprise the two of them.

Hobbes looked at Alyx who had her poker face in place. "I have my reasons, can we leave it at that?"

Kevin wouldn't get any more out of her, not now, anyway, so he dropped it. Perhaps, when she trusted him, she would be willing to explain why she remained with the Agency when she clearly could be elsewhere. "Sure. I have some questions about your concerns."

"Such as," she prompted, tone and posture decidedly cool as if she expected him to belittle her worries.

It would be the total opposite that she would be receiving. "Based on the little information I have the Simon Cole persona seemed to be very aggressive and capable of an amazing amount of control over Darien even when he was fully conscious."

Alyx glanced over at Hobbes then nodded. "That is my understanding. I was not working for the Agency at the time this occurred so I will be unable to give you any eyewitness information." She hooked a thumb at Hobbes. "He was..."

Hobbes shook his head. "Hey, I had to have most of this explained to me by the Keep. Fawkes mostly seemed like he'd had a psychotic break with two distinct personalities. He had no real memory of what his body had been doing when Cole took over."

"Claire's notes include a reference to Darien having dreams that she presumed were Cole's active periods."

"Yep. That's what clued her in to the whole mess once the Bossman revealed there had only been one gland created," Hobbes answered, scratching one ear. "Why does it matter?"

" 'Cause that would be one of the warning signs that this body sharing is having issues," Alyx explained, turning to Hobbes with a grim smile on her face.

"There could be others?" Hobbes seemed both intensely curious and worried for his friend and partner and Kevin couldn’t blame him. This procedure was very risky to the host no matter how willingly he seemed to walk into the situation.

"Yes, and I suspect Alyx here has a whole list that's she's been watching for."

Alyx gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

"Like what?" Hobbes looked from Kevin to Alyx and back again. Kevin deferred to her, suspecting she had a better grasp of the dangers. Also, Hobbes would be far more likely to believe her at this point in time.

"Like me being able to _feel_ Kevin instead of an unconscious Darien. Shortened sleep cycles due to pressure from the secondary personality, memories overlapping, shared dreams, dreaming of the opposite personality in real time, and, of course, the secondary personality asserting itself during the primary's waking periods." Alyx made every effort to remain detached while detailing the danger signs, but even Kevin didn’t buy it, the anger he'd thought they'd left behind with Jennings clearly had been doing nothing more than simmering just beneath the surface and to keep it from boiling over she had gone cold, emotionless and it hadn’t been easy for her. She _wanted_ to scream and rant and fret, but as he was not the one to blame turned it inward, holding it close to be used later most likely. Hopefully against a target that deserved it.

"I will endeavor to watch for these signs, best to make certain Darien does the same." He scrolled through the files on the laptop. "Is there a way to reverse this process?"

Hobbes nodded. "An anti... anti... anti-something shot that had to be delivered right into the gland." He winced at the memory, and Kevin sympathized, the gauge needle that would be needed to deliver an injection directly into the gland would be frightening indeed.

Kevin turned to Alyx for the information Hobbes lacked. "Anti-peptide. Supposedly washed away all the Cole RNA in the gland."

"You don’t seem to believe it," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "It worked. However, given the mere trace of mRNA left behind from Cole, I have concerns it would not work in this instance. And there is the possibility if... you remain within the gland for too long you could permanently bond with the gland's DNA, making any effort at purging impossible."

Hobbes twitched. "You mean the Doc here could stick around forever?"

"Yes, Bobby, that's exactly what I mean. And if that happens you run the risk of one persona becoming dominant and ultimately suppressing the other."

Hobbes shot an icy glare at Kevin that he took as a matter of course. The information wasn't what he had wanted to hear either, but had been the same conclusion he'd come to. "And the suppression could be done manually using drugs," he added and getting twin looks of death and severe maiming from the partners for his trouble. "Try and tell me you didn’t come to that conclusion for yourself."

Alyx shook her head. "Probably long before you did, bub," she sneered. "In fact, I suspect that is Jennings' ultimate purpose in all this."

"You mean he ain't just gonna monitor the sitch, but figure out how to switch one on and the other off as needed?" Hobbes's voice was full of righteous indignation.

"Bobby, you’re assuming he doesn’t already know how," Alyx told him, looking just as thrilled about the situation as he.

Kevin's comment, however, kicked them right off track. "Exactly how fast does your mind process information?"

Alyx blinked, then laughed softly. "Very," she assured him. "Which is probably why the boss wanted me nowhere near this place while you were here."

Hobbes sighed heavily. "But you are and there's little we can do about them," he waved at Kevin, "other than keep an eye on 'em and hope your doomsday predictions don’t come true. We need to fix what we can, like rescuing Claire."

Alyx frowned, apparently not liking that truth. "I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like the shit the boss is pulling this time, does it?"

"Nope, you just got to deal with it and move on. Can you do that?" Hobbes appeared to be very serious and Kevin couldn’t blame him. Alyx could spend and waste all her energy bitching and moaning about the Official and his manipulations or she could be aware of it and move on. Do the job and deal with the aftermath... after. At this point that was pretty much the only way to go.

"Don’t have much choice, do I?" She turned to Kevin. "Going with the bold assumption that the additional gland data I've given you allows you to create a viable removal technique, do you really want to?"

Kevin probably looked as confused as he felt. "Why wouldn't I?"

" 'Cause giving de Ferhn that kind of power is stupid, never mind dangerous," Hobbes sneered. "This ain't just about solving some equation, Doc. Once he has what he wants, he might just very well kill Claire -- that's what usually happens to hostages, no matter how smart they are."

Kevin knew he was right, that _they_ were right and if Claire had been the sole reason for coming up with the solution he probably would have balked for the very reasons they'd expressed. He might be a touch naïve when it came to the abuse of his designs, but he wasn't stupid. He knew the Quicksilver gland could be used to do real harm in the wrong hands, which is why he and the Official had been so cautious about security. Security that had clearly failed if they'd welcomed the enemy -- Arnaud de Theil -- in with open arms. No, _he_ , this version of himself did not remember any of that, but he'd read the files and knew it had ultimately been his decision to bring in Arnaud, who had cultivated a relationship with Kevin over the course of many years and he had never once suspected him of being anything other than the Doogie Howser of neurophysics. Little wonder the two agents... Darien's friends, questioned his motives.

Kevin tipped his head down, Darien's long hair falling before his eyes. "I'm doing this for Darien first and foremost. I should never have implanted the gland a second time without a viable extraction technique." He raised a hand to forestall any commentary. "I've read the file and understand why I did it, but it was stupid and risky and I have no idea why no one stopped me. Granted I would have been forced to start over once the changes to the gland Arnaud instituted became known, but it would have been simple modification, not starting from scratch." He attempted to adjust glasses he'd forgotten he wasn't wearing and sighed softly. "Perhaps I was under some pressure that I am currently unaware of."

"Or maybe your ego got in the way of your intelligence," Alyx stated in a dry as dust tone.

Hobbes snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. "Now, kid, your opinion is a bit biased, what with only having Fawkes' view of events to go by."

Alyx turned and shot a meaningful look at her partner. "Don’t mean I'm not right," she argued, then turned back to Kevin. "Look, the whys don’t matter right now, the question is will any solution you come up with work for Arnaud like he's demanding?"

"In theory, but only if as the file says his gland is _identical_ to Darien's." Very true, the solution he'd been working on for the original gland would need to be greatly modified to account for the addictive qualities of the Counteragent and toxin the gland now secreted. However, if Arnaud's gland did not include the toxin modifications, the solution may not work.

Alyx ran a hand through her hair. "That's what I thought. Now what if he'd been using a modified version of your shutdown inhibitor for an extended period of time, could that cause a variation in how the gland works?"

"Christ. Are you certain of that?"

"No, just a best guess based on evidence." She waved at his laptop. "I included my suppositions in my notes." She cocked her head to the side. "What would you need from him to verify the workability of a particular removal technique?"

Truthfully, he'd need to do a full work up of the subject and gland, but considering that would not be likely to happen, narrowed it down to the bare minimum for data sets. "Any existing scans, PET, CT, whatever he has on hand. Blood, Quicksilver, and gland samples. And, yes, I mean a tissue sample of the gland itself. A standard biopsy sample would do."

Alyx turned to Hobbes with a satisfied smile on her face. "All right, I'll make no promises, but I'll see about obtaining the samples you need." She frowned then rubbing the back of her neck. "Now I just need to find the little shit."

"How?" Kevin asked, curious.

Hobbes started to pick up the detritus their long stay had created. "Don’t worry, Doc, we've got a plan. We'll drop you off at the Agency and let you get to work."

Kevin blinked. "But I still have questions."

"Like what?" Alyx hadn’t moved from her spot, as if she had known Kevin would balk at leaving.

"I want... need to understand what you can do."

She glanced at Hobbes who shrugged. "Why? You just need to figure out how to get the gland out. My abilities have no bearing on that."

Kevin shook his head, not sure how to explain it. His gut was telling him she was the key to the whole thing, but he had yet to make the connection that would tell him why. "The Cole incident, was that when the whole pineal/Quicksilver gland connection began?"

Hobbes replied with an instant, "Yes," the same time Alyx said, "No."

"Uh, what?" Hobbes asked, looking bemused. "What other signs were there?"

Alyx rolled her eyes. "Hot doughnuts?"

Hobbes froze for a long moment. "Wait, those Quicksilver dreams are... different. Ain't they?"

 

She shrugged. "Doubtful. Those prescient dreams were probably the first sign that the Quicksilver gland and the pineal had begun spending time together. The fact that I also have them seems to suggest that they are caused by something in the base genetics of the Quicksilver gland, and not just random chance."

Kevin blinked at that. "Wait? You can Quicksilver?" He must have skipped that page in her file, as he certainly didn’t remember reading it, he'd been more focused on her other abilities, those caused by the QSX project, whatever the hell that was. "When did you... Who did the gland implantation? Claire?"

Hobbes and Alyx both turned to look at him. "No. Read the damn file," Alyx snapped, plainly not wanting to answer what she considered stupid questions right now. "Seriously, Kevin, I gave you the files so I wouldn't have to play twenty questions with you."

"You think I don’t know that?" he snapped right back. "I have a frickin' novels worth of files to plow through and have had all of a couple hours to do so, sorry I missed a detail or two along the way." He didn’t need this shit, he needed to get back to the lab and get to work. He only had so much time to complete the work and as he only had control of the body every other day, very limited time in which to accomplish his goals. "You're the supposedly psychic one, you couldn’t figure that out?"

Alyx's look turned dark and, for an instant, Kevin actually feared for his life.

Hobbes managed to diffuse the situation by the expedient of getting her to focus on him instead. "Alyx, he's here to help, you need to give him a chance to."

Her gaze swung about to the older agent, murder still buried in the depths of those silver eyes. "I know." She closed her eyes and did seemingly nothing for a long moment. "Kevin... what do you need to know?"

He had reopened her file, finding the Quicksilver information and it took seconds to realize why she had begun to grow frustrated with him. He'd completely missed the section on her Quicksilver ability. Damn. How many talents could a single person have bestowed upon them without going insane? "You can read minds? A telepath?"

"Technically, but not in the traditional sense of the word," she responded making the very obvious effort to remain calm. "I can sense and interpret the electrical signals in the neurons in the human brain and translate them into feelings and thoughts, images even." 

Kevin nodded, understanding immediate. "Which is why you can't sense me. I'm using Darien's brain, but on a somnambulant level."

Alyx nodded, her tense posture relaxing ever so slightly, while Hobbes' face scrunched up in confusion.

"From her perspective, Darien is sleepwalking," Kevin translated.

"Oh. Well, that makes sense, I suppose." Hobbes sat back down, coming to the conclusion that they weren't going to be leaving quite yet. "Kid can do all sorts of things. The reading minds trick is useful, but also takes a lot outta her."

"I can imagine," Kevin said with a nod. "According to this you sense energy. How is that useful?"

Alyx sighed. "Like this."

At her words the table lifted a fair foot into the air along with everything on it. Kevin managed to contain his shocked surprise, emitting little more than a gasp. Doubt kicked in next, figuring she must just be lifting the table with her arms, or knees, but a look under the table revealed absolutely nothing holding it up at head height before him. Logic kicked in then, along with scientific curiosity. She had to be performing this feat, using her mind to manipulate the solid wood of the table, but how if she could feel energy. The table lowered itself back down, the few others enjoying their meals completely unaware of what had just occurred. He wanted to ask her how she had accomplished the impressive act of prestidigitation, but also wanted to find the solution on his own. Energy; that was her base skill. Well, even a solid object moved, the molecules dancing to their own rhythms within the solid state, and that movement, especially when molecule hit molecule gave off energy, kinetic energy, and if she could sense that energy she could in theory manipulate it. Which meant... "What else can you do?"

Hobbes shook his head. "Damn it, kid."

"I warned you it was suckers bet before you laid your money down," Alyx pointed out as Hobbes handed over a twenty dollar bill.

"You bet on whether or not I would figure out how you levitate objects?" Kevin asked, aghast.

"Yep, we did," Alyx told him. "Well, Darien and Hobbes did, I'm just the bank on this occasion."

"Why do that? I'm mean you obviously have a genius intellect, why do such... mundane things?"

"Why not? Being smart doesn’t mean I need to lock myself in a lab and devote my every waking moment to science. I like to do lots of things, many of which are, as you called them, mundane. I have a life to live not a status quo to maintain." She gave him a sad shake of her head. "Discovering the next great thing can be wonderful, but it’s better if you have people, friends, lovers to share it with. There's a hell of a lot more to life than science."

"But the projects I work... worked on were intended to better the world... have bettered the world based on what the Agency has managed to accomplish since Darien had the gland implanted. You can’t deny that." He stabbed a hand at her. "Has what you've done meant nothing?"

Her lips tightened to a thin line and Hobbes cleared his throat, a signal of some sort that Kevin didn’t know the specific meaning of, but also didn't need to as whatever reply she'd been about to snap out at him she swallowed, instead taking a slow deep breath before replying. "No, I won't say that, but not all that long ago I _was_ one of your mundanes. I had a normal boring life, doing normal boring things and while it wasn't perfect, it also wasn't worthless. You might want to try remembering that." She stood. "I need to take a walk, Bobby."

"Sure, kid. I'll keep the Doc here amused." Hobbes gave her a nod, before she turned and walked away, heading for the water some twenty yards away where a generic seawall overlooked this curve of the bay.

"I didn't mean to piss her off," Kevin said apologetically, actually surprised at vehemence he had heard behind the bland tone. "I just assumed she had been recruited by the Official, I take it that is not true?"

Hobbes snorted. "Not even close. In fact, the kid was brought in to put Darien back together." He shook his head. "Little surprise they ended up together, especially since that's how the Boss planned it. She just turned out to be a better agent than he expected."

 _Put Darien back together? What did that mean?_ "I don’t understand," Kevin finally admitted, and he did not like not knowing. Granted he and his brother hadn’t spent more than five minutes together in years from his perspective. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to avoid Darien thanks to his continuing refusal to do something... anything productive with his life. After a huge fight that had very nearly come to blows Kevin had walked away with no intention of ever looking back. And yet... And yet, when the time had come to make a second try with implanting the gland he had turned to his brother and trusted him with the most important project in his life. Why? He wished he could talk to Darien, he more than anyone else could fill in the blanks, maybe not the technical information, but what Kevin was beginning to realize might be the more important information, the whys, hows and whos of the events that had led to... to his death. He had to remember that, he was here on borrowed time in a borrowed body. Which was part of the reason Alyx had just stormed off, from her perspective he had just walked in and taken over half of her friend's life. Little wonder Hobbes seemed to lose patience with him quickly. Kevin's had thought he was helping, doing as the Official had asked in meeting Arnaud's demands in as timely a manner as possible.

 _If_ it were possible. Kevin now feared it may not be. Somehow... somehow he had to make this work, had to get Arnaud what he needed or risk losing her... risk losing Claire again. He hadn’t realized until he'd seen her picture in the lab how much he had missed her and how much he regretted having lost contact with her when they'd gone their separate ways after grad school. He, most certainly, had chosen to devote his time to his work and eschew any personal relationship. An easy choice considering for whom he worked and the trust issues that were endemic in top secret government work. Then again, he'd presumably failed on that score and trusted the wrong person to end up in the current situation.

Which begged the question why he would be willing to help Arnaud if he were in fact the reason he had been killed. Hell, why would the Official want to help him? He wouldn't, not unless there were something for the Agency to gain by it.

"What are you up to, Charlie?" Kevin muttered under his breath.

"Now _that_ is a very good question." Hobbes had been working on Alyx's laptop while Kevin had been pondering his life choices for the last several minutes. "Do you need anything else answered?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not today. I need to go through all this data in detail and see if it's of any use in solving the removal issue." He turned about to find Alyx quite some distance away, only her distinctive hair allowing him to spot her among all the others wandering along the drop off. "I'll have more questions for her, but I can always just write them down I suppose."

"Probably a good idea," Hobbes agreed with a nod. "Don’t take her words to heart, she's just out of sorts with the whole..." He waved at Kevin in a vague manner. "Give her a couple days to adjust and she’ll be fine."

Kevin knew better and was pretty certain Hobbes did too. Alyx would not adjust to this no matter what. She might deal with it, but would never approve or be happy about it. "So long as she's willing to work with me, it doesn't matter if she hates me," he said truthfully. Working together was the important thing, they didn’t have to like each other to do that. She wouldn’t be the first colleague he hadn’t particularly cared for. Though that wasn't true. So far, he liked what he saw, at least in part because she cared, and deeply at that, for his brother whose body he currently wore.

Hobbes rubbed his face with both hands. "She doesn't hate you, Fawkes. She may not like you much, but she don’t hate you... yet."

Kevin managed a dry chuckle at that. Hobbes had a point; he needed to treat her like a person, one with superior intelligence at that. Hobbes might not be of genius intellect, but he wasn't stupid either. And when it came to spy craft, he most certainly knew far more than Kevin ever would, and should therefore not be dismissed out of hand. Alyx had both, intelligence and the ability to process information at an astonishing rate of speed and the skills to play the covert ops game, he would do well to remember that. He wanted to talk to her... just to talk about those mundane things she still found important to her life and that he'd never made time for. Maybe that would allow him to gain some insight into not only her, but his brother.

He knew he had a tendency to use people like tools, get what he could out of them and then move on. When he had worked for the SWRB he'd learned the hard way to be cautious of who you called friend. Augustin had fostered his friendship to further his own ends and the research Kevin had been doing no matter the cost. When Kevin had learned of his running human testing on the still very much theoretical work, he'd been livid and, with the help of the Official, severed his contract. The Official had taken one look at his work and his plans and offered to fund it to its fruition. How could Kevin say no considering his Uncle Peter had been friends with the man, had worked with him years previously on similar paradigm shifting research. Hell, it had been his Uncle's preliminary work, which had led to the creation of the gland. That same work, might very well serve here. He wondered if Claire had copies of those files. He would have to remember to ask the Official when they returned to the office.

"I need to get back to the office and get to work."

"No worries, Doc, we'll have you back with plenty of time to spare," Hobbes assured, rolling up the maps and storing them in their sleeve. "Kid's on her way back."

"Oh. Do you... do you think I should apologize?"

Hobbes shook his head. "Nah, you didn't do nothing wrong, did you?"

Kevin managed a grim smile. "I'm not sure."

"That might be the wisest thing you've said today. Keep it in mind when you get back to the Agency."

Kevin damn near jumped out of his skin as Alyx spoke from beside him. Yes, Hobbes had said she was on her way back, but damn, he'd figured a couple minutes not nanoseconds. "Why?"

"Because ‘trust no one’ isn’t just true for the X-Files," she said as she sat down next to him. "I will endeavor to keep my issues my own and not let them interfere with the work that needs to be done. That said, I would recommend you do not place any of the files I gave you on the mainframe. Work off the laptop as much as possible. If you need additional computing power I can supply it."

"I will still need to keep the Official apprised of my progress, but I suppose I can, for the time being, not mention that I was able to... acquire Claire's gland files." Kevin might not understand, but suspected her reasons were valid ones and after what had happened at Perseus was willing to err on the side of caution even if it did seem to be exceedingly paranoid. "Is there a safe place for me to leave any questions I may have for you?"

"I'll give you my secure email, will that do?"

"Perfectly. Do you think you'll have those samples by my next wake period?" He took care with his phrasing, not wanting to risk her ire again.

"We can but try," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We'll be working through the night, once downtown clears out it'll be easier for me."

"Which means I need to take a nap," Hobbes groused. "Padded room here I come."

"Bobby, crash in my office. It's more secure anyway and that way I can make certain you sleep."

Hobbes sighed heavily. "I hate that trick of yours, but it works and, yeah, I need to crash for a while." He turned a glare on Kevin. "The two of you and your screwy schedules is a pain in my ass."

Alyx laughed softly. " 'C'mon, let's pack up and get and back before the Boss becomes even more suspicious. You want some chow to go, Kevin?"

He refrained from his instant no, deciding that the body he wore would probably need the extra calories in order to handle the dual usage. "Yes, something I can eat cold and one handed."

"Done." As Alyx got to her feet she set one hand on his shoulder for an instant. "You have nothing to apologize for," she said at a bare whisper.

How she had heard that he had no idea, as she had been well out of earshot by that point, not that it mattered. She seemed sincere, so apparently her walk had allowed her to deal with whatever had been bothering her, and that was just fine with him. He watched her walk towards the tiny restaurant feeling confused and wondering if she had the same effect on Darien. Kevin began to see what his brother liked in her; smart, sharp, quick witted and beautiful. Darien probably hadn’t known what had hit him until it was too late. "Darien really cares for her, doesn't he?"

"That he does, my friend," Hobbes answered, "And don’t you dare go messing with it. She's been good for him, though considering how they met you'd think she'd want no part of him."

"How did they meet?" She was an agent; they probably met in the Official's office with Eberts doing the introductions. "Couldn't have been that exciting."

"They shoved Fawkes into the padded room with her just before he went Quicksilvermad," Hobbes’ tone was disturbingly bland considering what he'd just said.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"No, he's not," Alyx said as she set his to go bag on the table before him. "Do not worry about it, we all have work to do. If we get through this and have some free time, I'm more than willing to talk. But now..."

"Kid, something up?" Hobbes asked with only minor concern in his voice.

She shrugged. "Maybe. Just a feeling."

"Gotcha. Let's go, Doc."

Kevin didn't argue, or even say a word, just packed up his stuff and stood, making certain to tuck the thumb drive into the pocket of his pants. While Alyx would probably be more than willing to make another copy should he need it, it would far simpler to just not lose the damn thing. There was a reason he generally wrote everything down, even if certain he'd remember it. Shit happened, and information got lost or forgotten over the years, which is why he had a huge collection of lab books, some dating back to high school, chock full of ideas, thoughts, notes, anything and everything his mind had come up with over the years. Even with orders to not physically record any data having to do with the QS-9300 Project he had, and kept the notebooks hidden from prying eyes. How they were found and nearly destroyed he honestly didn’t know, but thank god they'd been found and Alyx had been able to reconstruct the majority of the missing data. Some of it had obviously been her best guess, but that had been more than enough. He picked up the notebook he was currently using for his notes and slid it back into the bag. He needed to find a secure place to hide it, didn’t want it to go missing, or to end up in the wrong hands. His concern over who exactly the wrong hands were had become uncertain.

"This is getting complicated," he muttered mostly to himself.

Hobbes snorted. "You just now figuring that out, Doc?"

Kevin sighed. "I'm just a scientist. I understand security and top secret clearances, not this. I don’t know how to fix this," he admitted.

Alyx shouldered her bag. "What do you need to fix?"

"This." He waved a hand at himself. "I got Darien into this... I want to try to get him out."

"And what if he doesn’t want to get out?" Hobbes questioned.

"Has he changed that much?" Kevin sounded confused, but couldn’t help it. The Darien he knew would be fighting tooth and nail to get out from under the authority the Agency and the Official wielded over him. Kevin hadn't taken the time too look through any of Darien's files other than those related to the gland. It was _possible_ that Darien liked working here, but Kevin seriously doubted it. No matter how a good a man he may have become, there would be little doubt that he was still a thief at heart and lived to buck authority. That he'd come to be resigned with the situation and played the hand that had been dealt him, Kevin could believe. Not want to get out, to get the gland out of his head, and move on? Oh no, Darien would want that more than anything.

Kevin may not know much about his brother, but he felt certain about that.

Hobbes looked over at Alyx, who gave no hint as to what her opinions were on the matter. "Yeah, I think he has," is what he finally said and she made no comment to dispute his answer, which Kevin found interesting.

"And standing here ain't getting nothing done," Alyx pointed out, tone wry.

"True 'nuff, kid. Let's hit the road."

 


	4. Chapter 4

_"You were always smarter than me."_

Darien jerked awake on those words, a scene earlier than he usually did. The one where he shouted "Kevin" into the hallway while holding his dead brother in his arms. The same brother who had pushed him out of the way of the gunman that had surprised them. Darien should not have been the one who had lived. Not that he'd wanted to die, but Kevin had been worth so much more, would have done so much more with his life than Darien ever would and yet... yet this was how it had played out. A dead genius brother with delusions of saving the world from itself and a thief, alive and indentured to the welfare child of intelligence agencies. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair, but it was what it was. And while he didn’t like it, he had been forced to live with it. Hating most days, surviving others, and more recently learning to live with it. _Live_ being the operative word here.

And now Kevin was back... sort of. Darien had so many questions he wanted to ask him, starting with why? But no answers would be forthcoming, because this Kevin, the one sharing head space with Darien didn’t remember any of it. Hadn’t lived through a single moment of the time period he had so very many questions about. He could only wait and hope and do one of the hardest things he'd ever done: trust his brother. Last time he had, he'd ended up with an extra gland and the ability to turn invisible. This looked to be the chance he needed for the opposite to happen, to get the gland out and to be able to move on with his life.

With a sigh he rolled over, the bed empty of company; he had, probably foolishly, hoped Alyx would be waiting for him. The laptop he had come to recognize as Kevin’s was open with a note taped to it. Better there than his forehead; he could only afford to lose so much hair at a time. He tossed off the covers and sat up, feeling oddly stiff and sore. Well, wasn't likely Kev had been hitting the gym and Darien made a mental note to fit in a workout or three in order to keep in shape, the bad guys wouldn’t take it easy on him just because he was a timeshare, and Kevin wasn't likely to lift anything heavier than a beaker unless forced to. Darien stretched, arms reaching above his head, and yawned, jaw cracking loudly. He stood and stumbled over to the desk.

At first he thought the note was gibberish, or some obscure language he'd never seen before, but after a few minutes of staring blindly at it, he recognized it and couldn’t help but smile. For a few months after the death of their mom and the move to Cold Springs he and Kevin had been close and unwilling to trust anyone but each other. They'd wanted to be able to talk to each other, but never seemed to be allowed time alone to deal with all that had occurred in their young lives. They'd come up with a code, a secret language that only the two of them understood and had used it to discuss those things they didn’t want the grown ups to overhear.

Kevin had lost the need for it first, Uncle Peter using the boy's budding scientific interest to draw him out of the protective shell he'd worn like a heavy cloak and back into the world. Darien, on the other hand, had remained withdrawn and defensive and with his lone outlet for working out the pain he felt, to his eyes taken away, he also became resentful and defiant. Little chance he wouldn’t be trouble once old enough to actually act upon it. Unlike Kevin, there had been no simple way for him to vent his pain and frustration. Kevin lost himself to the science. Darien simply became lost. Wanting nothing more than to be different from his brother who, to his young, impressionable mind, had abandoned him.

Of course, Kevin had just repeated that act when he'd rescued his brother from a life in prison, then died, leaving Darien to a life of imprisonment to the Agency.

Darien shook off the walk down memory lane, that short trip had been more than enough for the time being and allowed him to remember the code. Even though he could now read it, it made little sense. _Are you happy here?_

A strangely mundane question that he wasn't entirely certain how to answer. And, thankfully, he didn't need to right now. Right now he needed to start some coffee and hit the showers. Fair bet there were any number of people waiting for him to arrive at work and accomplish something of value. With any luck, while Darien had been sleeping Alyx and Bobby had narrowed down Claire's location and possibly even rescued her, though he doubted that. Claire would still be hostage to Arnaud's insanity and they would still have nothing to bargain with.

Grumbling about counting dead chickens before they'd hatched, he headed to his kitchen to get his day, whatever time it might actually be, started.

…

 

"So, what did I miss?"

Hobbes twitched and spun about to glare at his partner who stood in the doorway failing to hide the grin at the reaction he'd caused with his apparent surprise appearance. "Fawkes, stop sneaking up on people who carry guns and haven’t had any sleep. It's not good for your health."

Darien shrugged and slouched his way into the room, he walked over to Alyx who sat behind her desk. "Hey, baby." He leaned way down for a kiss, which she seemed to grudgingly allow. He could tell instantly she hadn’t slept and had probably earned herself another headache based on the dullness to the normally bright color of her eyes. "You need to sleep."

"Later," she grumped. "Have a meet to make first."

"Which you can join us on, Fawkes. Two set of eyes watching is always better than one." Hobbes leaned back in the chair stretching his arms over his head for a long moment. He looked only marginally more rested than Alyx, which simply meant he'd caught a nap at some point in time.

"And who are we meeting today?" He leaned back against the wall next to her chair, looking at the file she had open on the laptop.

"Some goon of Arnaud's," Hobbes answered around a yawn. "Damn it, I need more caffeine."

"You need more sleep, Bobby," Alyx admonished, sounding remarkably like a cranky mom.

"When's the meet?" Darien asked, hoping there were a few hours to spare as it looked like both his friends needed a serious battery recharge before doing anything spy-like.

"Fifteen hundred," Alyx answered, "and we'll just be observing, Higgens will be picking up the package for us."

"Why? I mean, I don’t mind playing with the other guys, but usually we do our own schlep work." Darien pushed off the wall after failing to decipher a single thing on her monitor and took over the chair next to Hobbes, not that he really wanted to sit, he'd much rather be up and moving, but if nothing was happening for a few hours then there was nothing to be done for it. He could check in with Jennings, but didn’t really want to. The doctor still had not grown on him at all and he wasn't in need of a shot for a couple days yet, unless... "Should I get my tank topped off?" 

"How many do you have left?" Hobbes sat up straighter, trying to get a gander at Darien's wrist, without having to work any harder than necessary at it.

"At five, so about fifteen minutes of see-through time."

Alyx shook her head. "No, we'll manage."

"Okay, why not." He felt like his help was being dismissed out of hand and he didn’t care for that.

She sighed and met his eyes squarely. "Because, dearheart, when we give you the Counteragent you pass out, who do you think will wake up five minutes later?"

"Oh. Really, that quickly?"

"According to Claire's notes, yes, and I concur." She gave him a strained smile. "Sorry, bub."

"No worries. I'd rather get some actual use out of the body while I can... Unless you need Kev for something?"

She shook her head. "Nope. This definitely calls for your skills and not his." She rubbed her forehead. "I'm tired of having a headache."

Darien glanced at his watch. "It's just after noon, take a nap."

"Don’t tempt me," she grumbled, clearly wishing she could. "We have much of information to bestow upon you."

Hobbes snorted. "Kid, Fawkes is right, you need a nap."

She stuck out her tongue at him and gave him a pitiful raspberry. "Just for that I'm not gonna buy you any coffee on the way to the meet."

"Harsh, kid." Hobbes wagged a finger at her. "We managed to locate Claire last night."

"Finally," Darien said with relief. "When are we mounting a rescue?"

Hobbes shook his head. "We ain't, not yet anyway. We know where she is, but we can’t get to her."

"Why not?"

" 'Cause she's on the twenty-second floor of the Kensington Building, which is owned by the Stork Corporation, some huge fertility company." Alyx rubbed her face in her hands. "The whole building is wired for high-tech security, and while I could probably hack it, the Official wants us to follow the party line for the time being, thus this meet."

"Why are we meeting an Arnie lackey?"

"Doc Fawkes needs additional info and samples from the Swiss Miss bastard, and after a snarky conversation agreed to supply them," Hobbes explained. "Seems he really, really isn’t enjoying the permanent invisibility thing at all."

Darien laughed bitterly. "No one deserves it more. Is Claire okay?"

"Yes," Alyx assured him. "I _spoke_ to her myself. She's not happy, of course, and not thrilled at the lack of rescue, but she's alive and in reasonably good health."

"So we pick up Arnie's supplies and put them on ice until Kevin's awake again, then what?" Darien didn’t like this, they should be planning a rescue not catering to a megalomaniacs every sociopathic whim.

Hobbes and Alyx traded a meaningful look. "Good question, my friend. The Chief is playing it very close to the vest this time and keeping us on a short leash." He rubbed the top of his head. "We went to lunch with your bro yesterday and got royally reamed out when we got back."

"My Official tolerance is at an all-time low," Alyx added voice dark. "Bobby, I can’t find shit on this Stork Corporation. They look great on paper, but I can’t find any dirt and that on its own sends up red flags. Someone has sanitized their image on the 'net."

"You think they're a front?'

"If they are I can’t find out for who." She looked thoughtful for a long moment. "I suppose I could go on a little field trip and see if I can hack in directly."

Hobbes shook his head. "Nah, kid. Don't want to upset the applecart just yet. They're working with Arnaud, we don’t want to let them know that we know and poking them will do that. Let's pick up the Doc's shopping list, then see if we can get to Arnaud through them."

Yeah, Darien had made note of the violent change in topic and couldn’t help but be intensely curious as to why it had come about. Alyx was unhappy about the situation and the Official blocking them from doing what they thought should be their job instead of sitting around with their thumbs up their asses simply made her even more cranky. Even with half a dozen feet separating them, he could feel her unhappiness and frustration. He had no idea what to do about it. "You guys eaten recently?"

"Uh... Shit, kid, he has a point." Hobbes slouched back down in his seat, head tipping back for a long moment to stare at the ceiling. "I just need coffee... or a Red Bull. You need food, real food. Might knock that headache back to manageable levels even."

"Nag, nag, nag. Mother hen. I am not some child you have to take care of," Alyx sneered, eyes flashing with irritation.

Darien could tell they had both been awake far too many hours and probably had been working non-stop since he had last seen them. Cranky was far too tame a word to use for either of them. Soon, the snark would turn bitter and personal and harsh and Darien couldn’t allow that to happen. "Stop, now," he ordered softly. He turned to Alyx. "You've been burning the candle at both ends, I bet, and haven’t slept more than a couple of hours since you got home. And you," he turned to Bobby, "should be getting your six hours no matter what. You need to set the example for her, else she'll stupidly go without sleep for days on end until she crashes." He turned back to Alyx. "And then what use are you?"

"Darien, do you really think I've had a choice?"

"Yes, I do. I sleep, Kevin sleeps, and even though you need less than the rest of us, you still need it to be at the top of your game." Darien crossed his arms over his chest. "And neither of you are right now."

Hobbes muttered impolite imprecations under his breath, but finally nodded in agreement. "You're right, Fawkes, but looking back on the last few days I don’t see how we coulda done anything different."

"I found Claire, I got Kevin squared away with the data he needed, and I managed to not kill Jennings. I'd say I accomplished plenty in the last couple of days." Alyx looked ready to spit nails.

"And you spent no time taking care of yourself," Darien argued. "Even you can’t do everything, woman, and you shouldn't need to. 'Fish does have other employees. Delegate, for heaven's sake." He worried about her, a lot. Bad enough she got sent away for weeks at a time, often on missions where she could not communicate with him at all, but to come home and be run ragged, had become the norm as of late. She needed time to be herself every now and then. Needed to relax and be nothing more than Alyx, instead of super-agent. He liked her just as she was, but she always tried so hard to be what was needed at that moment, which wasn't fair to her. Even she was human, though she seemed to forget that most of the time, so he'd taken it upon himself to remind her every now and then. So happened this time would probably go unheeded due to the exigencies of the situation. She'd work herself to the bone to find the best solution possible to resolve the problem. This time just happened to have several conflicting problems all dumped on her at once and very few willing, or able, to help her.

Darien wanted to be there for her, but this trading days with his brother definitely put a crimp into that. And knowing his brother, he had been placing his own set of demands on her that she had been making every effort to meet. Time for herself? What a joke.

"I can do that after Claire is home safe."

"Kid, if you don’t take care of yourself you won’t be of any use to us when we really need you," Hobbes added, though Darien agreed with him completely.

"Look who's talking there, old man." At those words she seemed to realize exactly how snippy she really had become and sighed heavily. "I feel like I'm being pulled in ten different directions and no single one will actually solve the problems we’re currently facing."

Darien got up and went to her, setting a hand on her shoulder and crouching down next to her. "Then just solve the next one. Worry about the rest later." He gave her a smile. "C'mon, I want to spend a couple minutes with my girl... my friends before we get caught up in work again. Please?"

Hobbes snickered, apparently knowing that Darien was playing the kicked puppy card for all he was worth. However, he was right, she'd stress herself into a monster headache and then crash and be utterly useless for hours after.

"You are a mean, evil, horrid man, you know that?"

He grinned. "Yup, I am well aware of my finer points."

"You guys need five minutes alone to get it out of your systems?" Hobbes asked, faking bored quite well.

Alyx rolled her eyes. "Bobby, we'd need more like thirty for _that_."

Darien chuckled while Bobby laughed. "Good to know, kid. Hate to think my partner fires his rounds early."

"Hobbes," Darien whined, both annoyed and surprised at the comment. Alyx took it in stride, eyes sparkling in merriment.

"Feh, that's only when we're pressed for time."

"Alyx!" he squawked. "You are not helping here."

"Well, if she needs to help you're doing something wrong there, my friend," Hobbes added to the fray, causing heat to rise to Darien's cheeks.

Alyx laughed. "No worries, he learns quickly."

Darien gave up right there. "My partners are sixteen years olds."

"Horny sixteen year olds. Don’t forget that," Hobbes corrected in his best prim and proper voice.

Darien was torn between wanting to laugh and throttling his partners. It was as if they had no clue how to be serious. Then again hadn’t he just been complaining that she'd been taking the work too seriously and not taking the time to relax? Thank god she could allow herself a few moments of silliness and that, more than anything else, was what she needed. Hearing her laugh always thrilled him since he knew how hard it could be some days to let go enough to allow even the slightest bit of happiness to shine through. He cherished those moments and would continue to endeavor to achieve them. He was fully aware there were few others in her life who would. Though it was looking like Bobby had maybe figured out a thing or two about her as well.

"You two have spent way too much time together the last few days," Darien observed dryly.

"Fawkes, you have no idea." Hobbes stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "Let's get some food and we'll give you the run down on the meet."

"I s'pose," Darien glanced over at Alyx. "We'll steal thirty minutes of alone time later."

She got to her feet, leaving Darien still crouched next to her chair, and wiggled her hips suggestively. "Oh, I guess so, seeing as it's your turn anyway."

Hobbes snorted, tried to cover it with a blatantly fake cough, then burst out laughing when he saw the look of utter dismay on Darien's face. "Great, just great. I really need to leave Kev some detailed dos and don’ts for dealing with the two of you." He tried to look angry, but failed miserably, he was certain. "You two are nothing but trouble."

He stood and tried to stalk away, but a delicate hand on his arm stopped him cold, this was quickly followed by a kiss on the cheek. "Make that ninety minutes, bub."

"Done," he said and sighed softly, grateful for the closeness. She'd deadened the link between them so he could feel little or nothing of her emotional state. He had been basing everything on body language, which he could read quite well, especially when she was tired. She hadn’t yet realized that the more she blocked that link the better he could read her. Which even he had to admit was kind of weird, but over the last few months, what with helping her unscramble her mind and all he'd gotten very good at reading her body language. He'd had little choice in the matter, as at any moment she could suddenly be someone else, someone potentially exceedingly dangerous.

He much preferred his Alyx, the one he held in his heart and mind and believed she did as well since most days who she really was matched that idealized image to perfection. Yes, she may have just adapted, catered her self to match his needs, but he didn’t want that to be the truth, because that would mean that he would ever only see what he wanted, and never, ever see her as _she_ wanted to be.

She needed him. He felt that in his bones. But she feared becoming nothing more than what everyone else saw her to be. Some days she had more than enough trouble keeping herself separate from those minds that forced themselves upon her, their needs, their wants, their hopes, dreams, fears, faults all imprinting on her mind and forcing her to maintain a frightfully tight grip on the tiny part she saw as her own.

Darien wanted to help hold her intact not add yet another set of demands upon her soul. Her achingly beautiful soul. Little wonder he'd fallen so hard, or so very far.

And he never wanted it to stop.

 

 

…..

 

Darien leaned against the railing, looking down four stories to the floor below watching for Higgins and his partner to make their appearance. Hobbes stood next to him, the tiny binoculars not looking outrageously out of place given the vastness of the location and the plethora of tourists inhabiting the space. 

"Kid, any sign of Arnaud's goons?"

 _*Not yet, Bobby,*_ she sent back, not wanting to give away her location by speaking aloud, and being kind enough to send her reply to both of them so Darien wouldn’t having to be poking Hobbes with a stick to find out what was going on.

Alyx was making her way invisibly to the meet point, staying well away from the Agency men who were making the actual information pick up. She also wore a button camera that had a crystal clear if Quicksilver skewed view of the area. The main signal was being sent to the computer in the van, the secondary went to the modified Blackberry Darien held in his palm, which let them keep an eye on the situation in real time. _*Anyone you recognize?*_

_*Not a soul. Shit, I hope he isn’t planning to blow us off. Kevin needs that data.*_

Higgins appeared then and took up his position as requested, just to the right of the up escalator, Darien spotted his partner a dozen feet away, eyeing the merch in storefront and not doing a half bad job blending in with the other business types also hanging out near the pseudo-tech store.

"Stop fretting, they'll be here," Hobbes assured her. Darien could tell his partner was just doing his best to calm her, but she needed it. The lunch had been fun and relaxing, but poor Alyx was wired nine ways to Sunday and ready to go off. She'd been going non-stop for weeks now and needed some time off to flush the crap from her system and reset. Sadly, that didn’t look to be in the cards for a while yet. And the longer he and Kevin were sharing head space the more stressed she would be certain to become.

He had no clue how to fix this.

"Mooks at your six, kid. Might be our guys."

Darien had to concur, the trio stood out in their pricey suits. Not exactly standard wear for Horton Plaza on your average day of the week. Suits, yes, as the dozen or so low end businessmen attested to. No these guys were high end all the way, the suits costing a grand easy and fit perfectly, not crappy off the rack ones like Higgins and his partner wore. "Watch yourself," he warned.

 _*Always do,*_ she replied without snark, instead he felt a wave of gratitude for his concern.

The meet itself wasn't that exciting. The threesome spotted Higgins, who after a quick glance about walked forward six steps and waited. One of the high end mooks did the same. Alyx shifted about, eeling her way through the crowd with seeming ease, trying to garner a better view of the threesome. It wasn't until the camera focused on, not the mook handing over the case, but the wary-eyed one who had hung back that Darien reacted.

"Oh shit. That's Stark's goon."

Hobbes twitched. "You sure about that?"

Darien nodded. "Oh hell yes. They ain't wearing their pins, but these guys are Chrysalis." And _that_ was bad news indeed.

 _*Well, that was a twist I wasn't expecting, but we did theorize that Arnaud had to be working with someone,*_ Alyx reminded them.

Still, the meet went off without a hitch, the code phrases exchanged, and the single metal briefcase handed over to Higgins. The Chrysalis goons turned about and left the way they had come.

 _*Do you want me to follow them, or stay with the package?*_ The tone of Alyx's sending made it clear she wasn't too happy about the involvement of Chrysalis, with whom she hadn’t personally had a run in, and they wanted to keep it that way.

"Stay with the package, kid. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point," Hobbes told her. "Fawkes, let's just make sure our surprise guests leave."

"Yeah, good plan," Darien agreed, pocketing the phone and following Hobbes into the crowd towards the parking garage. "Arnaud teaming up with Chrysalis, this can’t be good."

"Teaming up with Stark, anyway. Doubt the Phone knows anything about Chrysalis, though I can see them using him to further their ends."

"Hobbes, imagine what they could do with Quicksilver." Darien certainly could and none of his suppositions ended well for the good guys. Oh no, usually it ended with the world imploding and Chrysalis taking over.

Hobbes shuddered. "Fawkes, I'm paranoid enough without you giving me more nightmares."

Darien managed a strained chuckle. "What are we gonna do if we catch up with them?"

"Good question. We could follow them, but I bet they'll be heading downtown." Hobbes pulled open the door to the garage park and held it open for Darien to slip through.

"No bet. Probably the twenty-second floor of the Kensington building, and right to the Stork Corporation." Darien shook his head as he headed down the stairs heading for the ground level, where he was assuming the Chrysalis goons had parked. "A fertility clinic and Arnaud with a head full of Quicksilver tech. This is not going to be good by any stretch of the imagination."

They thudded down the stairs and made it to the ground floor in mere seconds. They swung about into the garage proper just in time to see the sleek black Caddy pull away. Even if they were able to get to the van in record time, they'd never catch up with them on the surface streets. Not that it mattered, they already knew where they would be going. Back to Stark.

"Crap, we missed 'em," Hobbes groused. "Kid, you got the package?"

_"Safe and sound in the van. Want a pick up?"_

"Wouldn't mind. Higgins and his partner on their way back to the office?" Hobbes asked.

_"Following me to your pick up and then will rendezvous back at home base."_

"She's enjoying this far too much," Darien commented, dryly.

"That she is, my friend," Hobbes agreed. "I think she misses working with us."

"I know she does, but it's not like we've been given a vote on the matter," Darien pointed out.

The van pulled up then, a crappy green Ford LTD right behind it. Hobbes gave Higgins and his partner a wave as they pulled around and headed towards the exit. The passenger door magically opened and Darien climbed in to find Alyx on the jump seat, the engine idling. Hobbes hoofed it around and slid into the driver's seat.

"You verify the contents?" Hobbes asked.

"Much as I could. Most of the data is on a jump drive that I am not exposing my laptop to. I'll risk breaking one of the spares at the office."

Hobbes put the van in gear and followed the signs for the exit. Alyx handed over a ten dollar bill to cover the cost of the parking without Hobbes having to say a word.

"Thanks, kid."

"Do I want to know why Chrysalis is involved in this mess?" Alyx did not sound too thrilled about the whole thing, and Darien couldn’t blame her. 

"Probably not. It ain't gonna be good, that's for frickin' sure." Hobbes frowned, as he turned right onto the street and began making his way through the maze of one way streets and back to the Agency.

"Do we tell the Boss?" Darien asked, wondering if the Official might actually begin to show concern about Claire being kidnapped once he had been informed that it wasn't just Arnaud holding her, but Stark and his crazy end of the world Chrysalis buddies.

"Don’t see that we have much choice. This is info that he needs to know," Hobbes told them. He signaled to turn into the tiny parking lot behind the building and pulled the van into the garage.

"All right, boys, I'm heading down to lab three to destroy a laptop," Alyx told them as she wiggled into the back to grab the case with the data in it. "I'll verify it and make copies just in case. I could start processing the samples, I suppose..."

"Why don't you leave that to Kevin, and just deal with the computer stuff," Darien suggested, wanting to spend some time with her later today.

"Didn’t the Doc leave you a list of stuff to look over?" Hobbes reminded, making her close her eyes and huff in irritation.

"I've skimmed the email already. I'll work on both while down in the lab. I need to sleep." She leaned heavily against the side of the van and looked up at Darien. "I is pooped."

"Yes you is," Darien agreed. "You have until six to get whatever you need to get done, done. Then I am picking you up, feeding you and taking you home for the night." He turned to Hobbes. "You too, Bobby."

"Not gonna argue, Fawkes." Hobbes grimaced. "We'll report to the bossman, and then do some more digging into this Stork Corporation now that we know Chrysalis is mixed up with this."

"Speaking of them, bossman is kind of insistent that they not know about me," Alyx pushed away from the van and headed for the door that led into the building proper with the two men trailing after.

"Kid, you have no idea. We have a whole list of people we are supposed to keep you away from."

"Oh yay," she grumbled. "Do I want to know?" 

Darien glanced at Bobby who shrugged. "Probably not?"

"I think we'll let you take that up with the Official," Darien told her. There were some tasks the chief was much better suited for.

They reached the stairwell where they would be going their separate ways.

"Six o'clock, young lady," Darien reminded, voice faux-stern.

"Sir, yes, sir," she retorted. She headed down while the two of them headed up, planning to beard the Official in his lair and give him the news.

"Hobbes, what are the chances the Official already knew about Chrysalis being involved?" Yeah, Darien was suspicious as hell at this point, but couldn't seem to shake it.

"Shit, Fawkes, I hope none at all."

Hope, that one simple emotion that had not been a regular part of Darien's life for quite some time now. But with Kevin back, the one person who knew the gland inside and out, it had begun to flicker faintly to life. After all, he was back to find a removal technique for Arnaud. No reason it couldn’t also work for Darien.

At least that's what he _hoped_.

 


	5. Chapter 5

When Alyx finally arrived at the lab the next morning, she was wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and a loose-fitting long sleeved blouse with a halter top underneath it. She looked far more relaxed that she had when Kevin had last seen her a day or so ago. She pulled out a laptop and set it next to his on the lab bench. After a nod to her he glared at the marker board with assorted figures and formulas scrawled on it. He was missing something. He knew it, but he just couldn’t seem to figure out what it was.

Suddenly Alyx was beside him, taking his right hand into her own and sliding up the shirt cuff. Her fingers played lightly over his wrist, momentarily distracting him from his mental review of his computations. “What?” he asked her. “Do I need a shot of Counteragent?” He looked down at the five bright green segments and wondered, not for the first time, exactly how the woman standing before him had come up with the idea of an inhibiting agent for the gland with little or no practical knowledge of it's inner workings. It was impressive, he had to admit.

“No, you’re fine. I was just checking. I do that. Besides, I doubt it's anywhere near the top of your list of things to remember.” Alyx released him and walked back over to the bench. She tapped the laptop she had set down. “The data I got from Arnaud. Can I presume you found the samples?”

He nodded. "Have them spinning up as we speak. The DNA breakdown of the gland tissue will take the longest, but I should have preliminary data by this afternoon." He glared at the board. "I woke up at seven a.m. again." As she seemed to be the only one who believed there were serious dangers in this sharing, he had decided to keep her very aware of what was happening.

She nodded. "I need to remind Darien to make note of when he's heading to bed so we can keep track. Have you been waking up at that time consistently?"

"Uh, yes actually. Except for the initial awakening, of course."

"Weird, but might very well be normal, for lack of a better term." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Then turned her focus to the board in front of them. After less than a minute of observation, she took the marker out of his hand and proceeded to change about half the computation.

Kevin opened his mouth to protest until he saw that what she was doing was not only correct and what he’d been trying to get to for the last hour and a half without success. “How did you do that?”

She shrugged. “I've been working on something similar and hit on that option a couple months ago. It failed." She handed the marker over and moved back to lean against the desk.

“And you memorized it?” Kevin sounded surprised.

"Don't have much choice," she reminded as she tapped the side of her head. "Trouble is we need to know what the gene sequence looks like for the toxin in order to find it. We've been doing it the long way."

"The long way?"

"Identifying the sequences we do know and eliminating them from the list. Then we play with what is left."

The long way indeed. "Eliminating the madness gene would make the removal solution much simpler, but unless Arnaud willingly gives us that information I am just going to continue to work on an alternate one." He sighed and began erasing the board in preparation of starting over.

"Is there any chance you can meet the deadline with the additional info?" She asked even though her tone made it clear she knew what his answer would be.

"Not likely. We need to bargain for more time."

"No, we just need to give him a viable option. He knows he asking for the impossible, which means he wants something else, we just have to figure out what." She paced forward, then stopped bouncing on her toes. "I realize you haven’t had time to look over the data in detail, but given what we do know, would it be possible to make him visible?"

Kevin pondered for a long moment. Arnaud _had_ been able to drop the Quicksilver prior to the changes made by Dr. Rendell, so theorectically it could be nothing more than a faulty wiring issue that kept him from triggering the snowflake effect. "How would you accomplish that?"

"Well, I can think of two options: block the neurons in his brain that are causing the Quicksilver to continuously produce, or use my off switch to trigger his."

"You can do that?"

"In theory, yes. Care to help me test it out?"

"Actually, yes, but I suck at Quicksilvering." He hated admitting that. He knew the exact mechanics of how the gland worked and yet he had been completely unsuccessful at Quicksilvering even once. He found it quite disappointing, really. “Only time I've been successful was the other night when you surprised me. I've been unable to go invisible voluntarily.”

"Anything you're afraid of?"

"What? Why would... oh. Snakes, much to my embarrassment, which is part of the reason why I am not working in the Keep."

"Okay, let's try this."

An image of a fair-sized boa suddenly appeared in his mind, real as could be and as frightening as the actual thing. He yelped, jumped backwards about a foot, and by the time he'd settled his vision had gone grayscale. At that point, the snake vanished from his mind, leaving his heart pounding hard enough to crack his rib cage as far as he was concerned.

Alyx was by his side in an instant. "Kevin, Darien's body knows what to do. You just need to let it. Try to keep the Quicksilver going for a minute."

“Ah crap. How did you do that?” He was damn sure he was not going to have a problem keeping the Quicksilver up for more than just a minute. He was beginning to think that keying it to an adrenal response might have not been the best of ideas.

She chuckled softly. "Just stay put." He watched as her forearm vanished to be replaced by an eerie arm shaped electric blue glow.

"Is the colored aura normal?"

"Yes, Darien is a golden orange. And, no, we don’t know why we see the auras in color while everything else is grayscale." She walked over to him and took his hand into her glowing one. "We do know the aura color is tied to the person Quicksilvering, but not why the color varies."

"Huh, I can't see my own aura," he noted, unable to not come up with about a dozen questions as to why this particular effect occurred.

"All right, here we go."

He had no idea what she did, but the Quicksilver fell away from both of them, cascading to the floor like a shower of heavy glitter.

"Well, looks like that worked," Kevin observed, lifting their still entwined hands to look them over. "There's direct skin to skin contact, which means the Quicksilver merges upon close touch." He freed his hand, mind whirling. "That would mean your Quicksilver is genetically identical to mine... Darien's"

Alyx tipped her head to the side. "Yes. You seem surprised."

"Of course, I'm surprised. The Quicksilver is being generated via two completely different means, the likelihood that they'd be compatible, never mind identical is..."

"Mind numbingly impossible?"

Kevin laughed softly. "Exactly." He waved for her to sit, and after a moment she did so, apparently willing to remain and assist him for a few minutes. "How long have you been able to Quicksilver?"

"My ability has been active for about a year now," she told him, watching him with an intensness that was startling.

"Has been active? What does that mean? Why were you unable to Quicksilver before then?"

"You read my file, yes?" He nodded. "Then you know that until Phase II was initiated the amount of Quicksilver in my system was minimal and did not allow me to go invisible."

Kevin rubbed his face in his hands, trying to process what she meant. He had the feeling he was asking the wrong questions. "How long have you had the Quicksilver in your system?"

"Confirmed since I was five years old. Though if my parents knew what it was they never told me. The QSX project caused me to produce it naturally as an additional hormone." Alyx leaned the chair back and watched him, waiting patiently for his next question, which was a nice change of pace after two days of disdain and irritation.

He'd done some research on her, asked the Official a couple of questions -- which he had managed to not answer with a creative use of prevarication -- accosted Eberts who had let slip some interesting hints, but had left Kevin with just more questions. "Who were you?" he asked, cautiously. "I have the QSX project data, which dates back to the early sixties, even if it is incomplete and there is no way you are..." he had planned to say "that old," but quickly realized that might not be the best phrasing with a woman, especially one who could break him without actually moving, "my contemporary."

Alyx burst out laughing. "I really should have proofread my file before giving it to you, the current version must be heavily edited. Yes, Kevin, I most certainly am your contemporary. Does it matter?"

Christ, did it matter. Here he was thinking she was in her twenties at most, though she looked all of sixteen, and instead she might very well be within a year or two of himself. Which meant... "Who are you?"

She scowled at him. "Alyx Silver."

He shook his head. "No, I mean before. And, yes, it could be important."

If anything, she scowled harder. "Michele MacTierney."

"MAM053," he said with the knowledge that she would have no idea what that number referenced. She'd understand the link to her QSX project designation, but not from where he had acquired his peripheral knowledge of it.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Her tone may have been light, but her look was deadly serious.

"That was the code on a sample my Uncle Peter had and that I acquired after he passed away." He gave her a wry grin. "It was actually key in adapting the gland to human serotype." That was putting it mildly, until he'd retrieved that sample from long term storage his attempts at creating a human compatible gland had failed utterly.

"Peter Donovan." She got to her feet shaking her head. "Not surprising he kept a sample or two. How far back does his involvement with Quicksilver go?"

"At least as far back as yours," Kevin pointed out, voice dripping with irony.

She gave him a real smile for that. "So, you're telling me that you used a sample of my Quicksilver to complete the genetic alterations to the gland for human adaptation. Little wonder it achieves cohesion, it's the same damn Quicksilver."

"So it would appear," he agreed. No wonder there had been any number of unexpected results.

"Fuck," she muttered.

"What?"

"This," she waved a hand dramatically at him, "is all my fault."

Kevin stared at her in confusion. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, presuming at least some of my genetics are extant in the gland, I have a predisposition towards... psychic abilities, which are genetically dominant."

Kevin opened his mouth to ask how she could know that, but she cut him off.

"Just trust me on this, it's a dominant trait. So, you stick a gland with these dominant genes in their make up in someone's head and... what do you think is going to happen?" The snark was mild, but there.

"Shit. They'll try to fulfill their programming, of course." And with her genetics being dominant, they'd want to make those psychic abilities possible, which would mean... "The Quicksilver gland forged a direct connection to the pineal, which allowed not only those Quicksilver dreams, but this current situation to be possible. Is Darien psychic in any other ways?"

She shrugged. "He has no other abilities that I am aware of, but has been remarkably receptive to me. His empathic and telepathic control is actually quite impressive, though given his fine control over the Quicksilver not overly surprising."

He could tell she was making every effort to remain detached and not react emotionally. Kevin suspected that this news was somewhat upsetting to her, though he was uncertain as to why. "Alyx, this is excellent news... why are you shaking your head?"

"Because Arnaud is working with some really nasty people, who would do horrible, horrible things with Quicksilver, and I have to make the assumption that the gland in his head has my genetics somewhere in it. I don't even want to imagine what they could do with _my_ genes." She got to her feet and began to pace the width of the room, one hand attempting to rub a hole in her forehead, her concern a palpable presence in the air about them.

"You don’t know that," he said in an effort to ease her concern. A justified concern, even he had to admit. Even if Arnaud had cobbled together a gland from memory, he still would have needed a sample of human serotype Quicksilver at the very least, since it was the key. A blank gland could be created fairly easily, one for Quicksilver was more complex, but achievable with the necessary tools. Arnaud could do it... had done it obviously, if poorly, judging by the current situation. If he had somehow managed it without using a sample of the original then her possible solution for his visibility problem might not work. Hell, any removal technique Kevin created based on Darien's gland might not work. "This could be a problem."

"No shit," she groused. She sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. "You need to finish the lab tests. Verify the gland he has is indeed identical to Darien's and we'll go from there."

Kevin nodded. He needed that data pronto now. A lot more than just Claire's life now hung in the balance if Alyx's fears were even slightly accurate, and he feared they were spot on. "What are you going to do?"

"Find Bobby and see if we can come up with a viable rescue plan."

“Rescue? "Is that even possible?"

She stopped her pacing and moved over to her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "Won’t know till I try." She gave him a grin. "Wouldn’t be the first time I've pulled off the impossible. Let me know when you get the results."

He nodded. "I will. If I have questions?"

"Call me," she told him and was out the door a moment later.

Kevin turned back to the board, his mind now swirling with the possibilities. He needed to look at all three samples of Quicksilver in detail. All the samples in fact. A three way comparison could prove to be very useful, not only in potential removal techniques, but in possibly identifying and eliminating the toxin sequence. Damn, he had a lot of work to do.

Which meant it was past time he got started.

 

…..

 

Kevin was pacing the hallways looking over the DNA data he had, trying to figure out what had gone wrong along the way. He had added Alyx's Quicksilver data into the mix since he now knew it had the same base genetics as Darien's, which varied marginally from the one Cole had carried around. The main difference was due to the original Quicksilver donor, which was part of the encoding in the gland itself and appeared in the Quicksilver. Both the Alpha and Beta reagents were based on those from the original donor, though modified for human serotype, of course. Then there was the breakdown of the modified genetic coding for the gland that Darien carried around. Gene therapy had been used to alter the anomaly that caused the permanent invisibility in Cole, but it had been altered to also induce the madness toxin as it secreted trace amounts of Quicksilver into Darien’s bloodstream. But the gland worked correctly. The Alpha and Beta reagents worked as they should, the adrenaline trigger, the snowflake effect, everything worked perfectly except for the side effect that Arnaud added and Claire and Alyx had been unable to remove. Though they had managed to control it through the counteragent and the inhibitor.

It was the genetic breakdown for Arnaud’s that was way off. Obviously, from the same base sample somewhere in its history, it had been altered so much that it came as almost no surprise that problems had arisen. Kevin was reasonably certain the sample Arnaud had used had been from Darien and not from the original gland or from Alyx herself. While tricky, Arnaud could have created a gland that used Alyx's version of Quicksilver as opposed to the unique sample that had served as a base for the QS-9300 experiments. Which meant Arnaud was working with a third generation sample -- a foolish move on its own -- but also one that had been altered multiple times to allow functionality in an artificial environment. It had been changed to work in Cole, changed again to work in Darien, and then changed yet again to work in Arnaud. Somewhere along the way, and lacking the expertise that Kevin had, there had been an error, or multiple errors compounded atop one of another. With enough time, Kevin was sure he could fix it, but they needed a temporary solution now. Perhaps re-sequencing the DNA back to its original form through gene therapy treatments? Perhaps altering the connections in Arnaud’s brain? Darien had been Stage Five when this Dr. Rendell had made her changes which allowed Arnaud's Quicksilver to finally bend light at the correct frequency, however it had had the deleterious effect of no longer permitting him to drop it at will. The snowflake effect inhibited for some reason, one that was most likely a wiring issue.

The provided samples showed he did indeed have the Beta reagent in his bloodstream, a key element for initiating the effect. And, much to Kevin's surprise, he did indeed show the toxin in his bloodstream, which suggested that the claim of the gland being "identical to Fawkes' " to actually be true… to a degree, anyway, as the differences clearly outnumbered the similarities. Still genetic anomalies had cropped up, which could also be causing the problem. Plus, it appeared Arnaud had used an inhibiting agent for an extended period, which could have caused cumulative problems in its functionality as well.

He really needed more data to be certain, but none was likely to be forthcoming. Right now, he wanted to talk to Alyx. It looked like her idea might very well work, she should be able to turn off Arnaud's Quicksilver, but the moment he went invisible again he would be just as stuck as he was now. Her solution was a temporary one at best.

Truthfully, he wanted to talk to Arnaud, it would be the only way to truly understand what had been done to create the gland currently in his head, but that would require his cooperation and Kevin suspected that would be unlikely to happen.

He made his way up through the building heading for the office Darien shared with Hobbes, hoping to find them there. He found the office empty and so headed to Alyx's, where he had found the partners the last time. He knocked on the door... twice before opening it to reveal no one inside. He could call her, he supposed. Though it might behoove him to check in with the Official and verify she wasn't working on something, like perhaps mounting a rescue attempt of Claire. Interrupting that would not be a wise thing to do, and he'd much rather Claire be brought home safe and sound than with Arnaud and this Chrysalis Alyx and Hobbes had mentioned. She'd truly been concerned that they might have access to her genetics and after having looked hers over in detail he could understand why. She was... amazing. She should not be alive, yet she was, and she had not only survived the genetic modifications forced upon her, but survived and thrived.

She was impossible -- on so many levels -- yet here she was. So many possibilities, not just in general, but for his continued work with the gland. With her help, with her genetics he might be able to fix everything. Remove the toxin; remove the gland itself, without harming the host. He just needed time, information, and her willingness to help.

Right now, he had none of those. Hell, he didn’t even have the Official's authorization to do any of this beyond solving the removal issue for Arnaud. And right now, that was their sole bargaining chip and Kevin had yet to actually find a solution. He was starting to become concerned there might not be a solution so long as the madness remained part of the gland makeup. Arnaud knew where the toxin sequence was hidden in the gland. Arnaud _knew_ and yet he gave himself a gland with the exact same issues. Why?

There had to be a reason, aside from rampant stupidity, but Kevin could not fathom what it might be.

He heard terse voices inside the office, one decidedly female, which meant he had found Alyx at the very least. He didn’t bother knocking and the words cut off the instant the door swung open.

"Shit," Alyx muttered turning to shoot a glare at Kevin. He'd completely forgotten that she could not sense him and would therefore be surprised at his seemingly sudden arrival.

"Dr. Fawkes, what can we do for you?" Eberts cut across the deadly silence that had ensued after Alyx's invective.

"Convince Arnaud that I need to know the exact gene sequence for the toxin in order to create a solution in a reasonable amount of time," Kevin replied sardonically.

Alyx snorted in harsh amusement. "Oh, is that all?"

The tension in the room was obvious to Kevin. Plainly, something had happened over the last few hours that he was completely unaware of. She had been intending to plan a rescue, perhaps that had not gone as well as she'd hoped? "Were you able to free Claire?"

The Official growled inarticulately. "Dr. Fawkes, I suggest you attend to your problem, while I deal with my agents."

 _Deal with..._ "Charlie, last I checked your agents were trying to assist me and rescue their co-worker. Has something changed that I need to be made aware of?" Kevin kept his tone bland so was surprised when the Official flushed over to red as he spoke.

"You just need to solve the removal problem, per de Fehrn's demands," the Official stated, look dark.

"And I'm telling you I can’t without more data." Kevin tapped the papers in his hand. "Arnaud's gland has numerous genetic anomalies that I _might_ be able to correct, however, that probably won’t solve his visibility issue. And to remove the gland safely being able to _see_ him is a definite requirement."

The Official huffed. "Worry about his... visibility after you have a removal technique."

"And I'm telling you that I cannot create a safe removal technique for his gland in its current state. Not without months of work and more detailed information." Kevin didn’t like admitting that, but it was the truth. With help and a ton of processing power to run the simulations, he _might_ be successful in six weeks instead of six months, but there would be no guarantee his best guess would actually work. He'd need the subject on hand for more detailed diagnostics.

"Which means we need to go in and get Claire," Hobbes stated and not for the first time based on the dark tone Kevin could hear in the man's voice.

"No," the Official shouted, slamming his hand onto the desktop with enough force to rattle every object and knock over the pencil holder, spilling its contents to roll across the surface and fall onto the cracked linoleum with _plinks_ that sounded unaccountably loud in the sudden silence that had ensued.

Kevin felt every hair on his body stand on end turned to look at Alyx, who, much to his shock, looked bored with the whole thing. Her words however proved that wrong.

"Why, Charlie? Why allow Claire to remain hostage to Arnaud. Hell to Chrysalis?" She took one small step forward, her visual demeanor completely calm and relaxed, but she radiated a deep-seated anger that he could _feel_.

Kevin shivered; suddenly realizing in a very visceral way that Alyx was extremely dangerous and could probably smash all of them as if they were nothing more than bugs, tiny, insignificant bugs at that, with startling ease. He set the papers down on the table, moved to her side, and set a hand on her arm. The moment his fingers brushed against her skin he knew he'd made a mistake. Her power flared through him for an instant, giving him a taste, an admittedly scary taste, of _what_ she was. _She_ was power. So much power it was breathtaking -- in a very literal sense of the word as he suddenly found it difficult to draw in a full breath -- and yet she contained it all, controlled it, and prevented it from wreaking havoc with the world around her.   

Oh, hell, the tests he wanted to run... needed to run. Shit, with enough time he could recreate the project, modify it to work in adults and then Charlie could have a dozen agents of her caliber without having to worry about maintaining an artificial gland. Making the process safe for adults would be tricky, but it could be done, just the fact that she had adapted to the initiation of new neuron connections proved that. Safely priming the body would be the challenge, but one he could achieve, he just needed time.

His mind whirling with the possibilities he almost didn’t notice when she spun about to face him, all but swatting his hand away from her. "Damn it, Darien, not now," she snarled, her voice little more than a dangerous burr that felt like it contained subsonics that raised gooseflesh on his arms and made him _feel_ how blindly angry she had become.

Hobbes was there instantly. "Easy, kid, that's not Darien."

Kevin took a step back as the potential for her gifts faded to the background and he swung back to the here and now. "Sorry, Alyx," he said softly as Hobbes inserted his body between them.

Her hands clenched into fists and she took two steps back, Hobbes staying right with her, the look she had aimed at the Official a frightful one. "Sorry, Kevin," she sneered, her eyes never leaving those of the man behind the desk. "This isn’t over," she growled, then stalked away, the door clicking softly shut behind her instead of slamming as he expected.

Hobbes watched her leave with a look of dismay on his face then turned back to his... their boss. "Chief, you ain't making no sense. This plan'll work and then you won’t have to worry about giving The Phone anything. Claire'll be home safe and sound."

"Agent Hobbes, the Official has already made his decision on this matter and has no plans to change it at this time." Eberts appeared to be stunned and running on autopilot. Obviously, it wasn't often Alyx permitted her temper to get the better of her, at least not at her co-workers.

"Why? Wouldn’t it be in your best interest to get Claire away from these Chrysalis people?" Kevin asked, wanting to understand why Charlie would risk her life this way. She'd been gone a week now and though Alyx had confirmed that she remained alive and reasonably healthy, she was most certainly in danger.

"We have no confirmation that Chrysalis is in any way involved with the Stork Corporation," Eberts explained, his voice perfectly calm.

Kevin turned to Hobbes. "Do you have proof?"

Hobbes nodded. "Stark's number one goon was there for the data hand off."

"You cannot prove that," Eberts countered, as if his lines had been rehearsed.

"Fawkes... Darien identified him, you saw the video yourself." Hobbes didn’t yell, but it was a near thing.

"He was mistaken, obviously. None of them were wearing those pins we've come to associate with members of the group," Eberts argued.

"And I'm telling you it was him. Stark is involved in this, up to his eyeballs and you don't seem to give a fuck." This time Hobbes did yell, and that got the Official's attention in a way nothing else had since Kevin had walked in the door.

He removed his glasses and stonily looked at Hobbes. "You will follow orders, Agent Hobbes, or you will find yourself dismissed with prejudice." The threat was far from idle. Kevin had heard that tone of voice only one other time and the person on the receiving end hadn’t taken the threat seriously. Less than a week later Kevin had been working for the Agency, his research finally moving in the correct direction after years of minimal success and outright failures. Gaither had limited his work, forcing him into research he had not been comfortable with and that had not worked as predicted.

"Is there some reason why you wish Claire to remain with Arnaud?" Kevin asked. "Perhaps an effort to gain information from him?"

The Official's eyes narrowed, while Hobbes chuckled angrily. "Now, that makes some sort of sense; leaving her there to play spy. The Keep is competent, I'll give you that, but if there is the slightest chance Chrysalis _is_ involved it's too risky. They'd have a gland and two experts on it in their hands. What are the chances they _won't_ suck them dry of every bit of information they have on the project."

"And I repeat we have no direct evidence that Stark or Chrysalis is in any way tied to this Stork Corporation." Eberts managed to look smug.

"And exactly how hard have you looked into finding a connection," Kevin asked, earning a nod from Hobbes.

"That would be need to know," the Official stated, clearly intending those words to be the end of the discussion.

"Meaning you ain't done shit," Hobbes groused, throwing up his hands in irritation. "So what do you want me to do, sit around with my thumbs up my ass and file the paperwork in triplicate?"

Kevin just barely managed to contain the laugh that tried to escape at that image. Hobbes was pissed, justifiably in Kevin's opinion, he would much prefer having Claire free to come and go as she pleased than be mixed up in this mess of a situation. And based on the results of the past few days since the return of Alyx, the Official could have had her free of Arnaud's clutches within mere hours of her having gone missing had he just made one simple phone call and recalled Alyx from her mission. No, the Official, had taken advantage of the situation, used Claire's disappearance as a convenient excuse to create a shift in power within the Agency. Kevin had gotten the impression that the foursome -- Alyx, Darien, Claire, and Bobby -- worked very closely together and had on occasion formed a united front against the Official... and won. That... that would irk the micromanaging Official to no end.

Kevin had been brought back for a reason, but he suspected it was something other than meeting Arnaud's demands for the safe return of Claire even with the Official pushing for him to come up with a removal solution. Assigning Jennings to Claire's Keeper position had been but the first move in what would surely turn out to be a long and drawn out chess match. Trouble was, he was uncertain who the Official was playing against. All of them? Alyx? Darien? Some enemy that none of them were yet aware of, making all of them nothing but pawns?

This wouldn’t do. He might get over-involved with his projects, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew the Official could be a manipulative bastard, he just never expected to be at the receiving end of it, not so blatantly anyway. But then again, he was nothing but a tool, a dead man walking so to speak, to be used and then put away.

So the real question was, what did the Official _really_ want from him?

Kevin had no idea what to do now, yes, solve the removal issue, which he could probably do for Darien with minimal difficulty, but not for Arnaud. Unless Alyx had more information that she had as yet been unwilling to share with him. That could be entirely possible. In fact, he hoped it was true, more information would be quite useful about now.

"Is there anything besides the removal you want me to look into? Consult with Jennings on the Counteragent and inhibitor, perhaps?"

The Official shook his head. "No need, Jennings is more than capable of handling the tasks that have been assigned to him. Make certain you check in with him, you should be due for a shot of Counteragent in the near future."

Kevin nodded, not really trusting Jennings after the discussion with Alyx the other day, but not knowing where else to turn to when the time came. From what he'd read symptoms in the form of headaches that progressively got worse followed by micro seizures caused by the gland itself could begin to occur any time after five segments had turned red. Only the inhibitor arrested the progression from days to as much as two weeks depending on active Quicksilver use. Darien's body having become dependent on both the Quicksilver to a degree and the Counteragent, the latter being highly addictive even after the initial use, and that was according to his very own notes.

And that... shit, that brought up a whole host of new problems. If Arnaud had the toxin in his system he must be using Counteragent, which means he would be just as addicted as Darien had inevitably become. If the gland were removed successfully without breaking those addictions, his body could and would rebel and crash, potentially killing him. And while that wasn't such a horrible thought, all things considered, it would have to be factored into any viable removal technique.

Unless Arnaud had some way around it? Possible since he was the creator of the Counteragent. He might very well have created a non-addictive version for himself. He might just be smart enough to accomplish that.

He turned to Hobbes. "Do you know where Alyx may have gone?"

"Yes, Hobbes, make certain to continue to assist Dr. Fawkes in any way he might need," the Official said smugly, which made Hobbes frown, but even Kevin could tell the man knew he'd lost this round.

Hobbes nodded. "Yeah, Doc, I might. C'mon."

They were in the stairwell, climbing slowly upwards before Hobbes spoke. "Kid, might not have cooled down enough for you get anything useful out of her."

Kevin shook his head, more interested in making certain she was all right and not about to go haring off in a vain attempt to rescue Claire that might very well get her caught instead. "There has to be something we can do," he finally said aloud, his voice echoing off the cheap plaster in the stairwell.

"Something for you to do," Hobbes snarked. "I get to be a good foot soldier and follow orders." He rubbed the top of his head with one hand. "Sorry, Doc, just not liking the sitch much."

"Me either, truth to tell." Kevin had no trouble admitting that. "What do you think we should do?"

Hobbes stopped halfway up and turned back to eye Kevin in suspicion. "Why? So's you can go tattle to the Fat Man?"

Kevin shook his head. "No, so we can get Claire home."

"Why do you care? You don’t even know the Keep." Hobbes got back into motion, continuing upwards towards the roof.

"Actually, I do," Kevin admitted after taking a couple minutes to debate the merits of revealing that tidbit of information. "We met at Cal-Tech when were both there for our post-grad studies."

Hobbes halted before the steel door that opened onto the roof proper, sighed heavily and rubbed his face in his hands. "You have got to be shitting me," he finally muttered. "Next you'll be telling me you were an item."

Kevin's eyes widened at the dismay in the man's voice. "Um, yes, actually, we dated for a year. Our jobs separated us."

"Oh, this is just great, wonderful," Hobbes grumbled, though Kevin was unsure why.

It couldn’t be that big of a deal, could it? "Hobbes, it was years ago, why would it matter now?"

" 'Cause I'm bettin' you still care about her."

Truthfully, Kevin couldn’t be certain of that, time and distance had separated them for ten long years. He honestly wouldn’t know if that spark still remained until they were once again near each other. Hell, she might have moved on, found someone new, gotten married for all he knew. Nothing like that would be in her file, which he hadn’t been offered anyway. In fact, in that odd twist caused by the top security issues, he knew more about her than most of her co-workers. He had a last name, for instance, they didn't. More than enough time had passed for both of them to have changed, more than enough to no longer be able to find that common ground on a personal level. He would just have to wait and see. If they were able to free her. If Arnaud or this Stark didn’t do something drastic first. If. If. If. Too many of them by far.

"Let's just say I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to meet her again," he admitted, deciding honesty would be best at this juncture.

Hobbes muttered under his breath. "Fawkes ain't gonna like this."

"Why would he care?"

"The Keep knowing who he was before they met? Oh, that'll tick him off but good. This is one can of worms I don’t want to see opened next to me." Hobbes opened the door and waved for Kevin to go first. "Best make sure the kid is nearby when he's told. Might need her to talk him down from doing something really stupid."

Kevin looked about, noting the not horrible view from the top of the building. The ground sloped down and away, so though other buildings were taller west of them they could still see over them and to the Pacific off in the distance. San Diego proper was such a compact city, so many buildings packed into such a small amount of space and with such variety. Claire was in one of those off to his north, held on the twenty-second floor by a man he had at one time considered not only a colleague, but a friend and confidant. Instead he had turned out to be little more than a genius con man, who had used his smarts to infiltrate one of the most top secret projects in the country and then, after stealing everything he could, destroyed it almost to the last man. Darien had been the only one to survive that day and only because he had been stubborn and sneaky as hell. Kevin had read the report that had included Darien's version of events that day, how he had been the only one to be suspicious of Arnaud, how he had caught Arnaud stealing the files, how Kevin hadn’t believed him when told.

Now, when he would listen there was no way to talk to him. As Darien would be wont to say, 'this sucked.'

They found Alyx sitting on the eighteen inch wide ledge that ran the circumference of the entire rooftop. Her legs dangled down over the city street far below, her palms flat on the ledge, head tipped back as she stared at the sky arcing high above them. The early afternoon sunshine did nothing counter the black anger he could sense rolling off her. Either Darien was more sensitive to her emotions than Kevin had thought or she was no longer bothering to contain them. Based on the frown adorning Hobbes' features he could feel it as well.

"Kid, I know you're angry, but the SDPD doesn't need a surprise uptick in violent crime." Hobbes stayed put, perhaps not wanting to push her into doing something excessive.

Kevin doubted she'd jump off the ledge, that kind of drastic response fit nothing he had learned about her, but allow her control to waver and the rest of the world to experience her unhappiness, yes, he could see that. Though she might not be doing it intentionally. From what he gathered the effort it took her to remain in constant control was immense, slipping now and then was inevitable, everyone reached a limit, hit that wall, let the exhaustion, irritation, frustration win. She'd had her tolerance levels maxed out today, little wonder the rest of the world felt her pain.

Alyx didn’t even acknowledge their presence, still staring at the sky overhead to all appearances. The onshore breeze catching the hairs that had pulled loose from the bun she'd forced it into and waving them about her face like streamers, the bright red glowing in the fierce desert sunlight. As he watched, she closed her eyes and the emotional pressure eased, fading into the background, as if she was unable to stop broadcasting completely. After several minutes of continuing, and to him confusing, silence she finally lowered her head and turned to look at Hobbes.

"Sorry, Bobby."

"S'okay, kid. Just need you get your head in the game," he told her, sounding serious.

She chuckled dryly. "Which game is the question, Bobby?"

Kevin found that an interesting question. "Which game do you wish to play?" he countered with, earning her attention.

She spun about, setting her feet on the gravel covered surface of the roof. "Now _that_ is a very good question. One I'm not certain how to answer with so many different games going on at once."

"And we've been ordered to stay away from all of them but one," Hobbes groused, casting a sideways look at Kevin. "Help the Doc and do nothing else. Fat lotta good that's gonna do."

"Why do you say that? If I can create this removal technique, it should work for Darien. He could be free of this... eventually." Kevin didn’t like the way Hobbes seemed to be marginalizing his work. Finding a viable removal technique was necessary if the QS-9300 project was to continue in the future. Eliminating the toxin sequence would be preferable, but as Darien had proven, it could be managed. No reason any number of other agents couldn’t do the same.

"And it'll work for every other agent with a Madness laced Quicksilver gland," Alyx sneered, echoing Kevin’s thoughts aloud.

"Well, yes. I'll need to come up with a treatment to handle the withdrawal from the toxin, but that is more than feasible," Kevin countered with, confused at the apparent unhappiness he could hear in her voice.

"Kid, isn’t this good news? Fawkes, has been wanting this since day one," Hobbes reminded, his tone taking on a pleading note.

"I know that, Bobby, but not like this. Not at the cost of Claire's life." She shook her head. "Not to benefit Arnaud, or Stark. Not to give the Official everything he needs to create an army of invisible men all very much forced to do anything he wants or risk going mad." She sighed heavily. "No, Darien would not want _this_."

Hobbes nodded in agreement, while Kevin stared at her in bafflement. "You don't want me to finish my research?" he asked, not understanding her at all. He figured she would want Darien to have his solution, to be able to leave when he wanted.

She laughed harshly. "Hobbes, give us a minute, please." She wasn't asking, even Kevin could tell.

"Kid..."

"I promise to leave him in one piece and completely undamaged." She forced a smile on her face. "He'll even still be Kevin."

"All right, kid. Let me know when you're done." He tapped the side of his head, and she gave him a quick nod. "Doc, don’t let her scare you... too much." On those words, he turned away, and headed for the door. Alyx remained silent until the door had shut with a dull thud.

"Can you meet Arnaud's deadline with the new data?" Alyx hadn’t moved an inch and watched him warily.

Kevin shook his head. "No. And with the inevitable addiction to the toxin, plus a possible dependence to the Quicksilver itself, I will have to factor in a way to counteract the potential withdrawal that could occur." He waved the file he still held in his hand. "I'm thinking it will take a minimum of a month for the removal process."

"And you want to hand this over to Arnaud?" Alyx asked.

"No, I don't _want_ to, but what choice is there?"

"Plenty of them, you just have to know where to look," she responded snidely. "You don’t even have a viable removal technique, just a potential one designed for the original gland. You have weeks of work ahead of you just to complete the needed revisions."

"I am aware," he glowered at her, not needing the reminder of just how much work he still had to do. "It might go faster if you helped," he pointed out, softening his tone in an effort to turn her mood around. He didn’t think he'd get much of use out of her if she remained so angry.

"Why should I? So more idiots who are willing to risk all for God and Country can have a Quicksilver gland stuffed into their cranium until they go permanently mad in Stage Five?"

"The Official wouldn't let that happen," Kevin argued, truly believing that. The Official was tough, but not cold and heartless.

"He would, in a heartbeat, especially if he needed to make an example of someone," Alyx's voice was dead cold, as if she knew this from experience.

"How do you know?" he asked, unable to not discover what it was she thought she knew.

"Because he did it to Darien." She sat back down on the ledge, and knuckled one eye. "Granted Darien did challenge him, but the Official had every intention of letting him die, harvesting, and starting over."

Kevin blinked his eyes. He'd read the file on the Stage Five incident, since it directly related to the current situation with Arnaud, but aside from it being mentioned there had been no details on Darien in Stage Five, or how it had been resolved. Obviously, the file he'd read had been carefully, and perhaps heavily edited. "What happened?"

"Darien crashed, severe depression caused by lingering guilt over your death and the stress of living with the gland." She tipped her head slightly to the side as if to gauge his reaction. "He had every intention of running and to hell with the consequences, but he got caught. Thank god Bobby is as loyal as he is or Darien might very well be either dead or loose as a happy sociopath. Neither is enjoyable to contemplate.”

"Understandable. But allowing me to complete my research will solve one of those issues." He wished he understood what she was trying desperately to not say. "I can do nothing about me, but I must have saved his life for a reason. Let me do it again."

"You didn’t save his life, you saved your precious gland."

Kevin actually felt his jaw drop at the harsh words she had stated with such bland indifference. "You can’t mean that. He can't believe that."

She shrugged. "I guess you'd have to ask him." She turned and presented him a view of her profile. "Do you want to know why the Official... recruited me?"

Not quite certain where this apparent segue would lead to, he nodded. "Sure."

"I was brought in as a toy for Darien. Something for him to give a damn about aside from running away, from the depression that seemed to be a permanent part of him, a distraction from the life he hated. And damn him if it didn’t work just as he hoped.” Alyx looked as disgusted as she sounded. "Of course, he damn near broke me in the process, but that was a small price to pay to make certain his seventeen million dollar investment didn’t try to run away again. The gland is _all_ he cares about."

"I don’t believe that," Kevin said, but deep down he knew it could be true. The Official would not want to lose his investment, he'd put every penny he could beg, borrow and steal into the Quicksilver Project, and with Kevin gone, the data gone, Darien would be all that remained. Until now.  Now he had Alyx who had almost single handedly reconstructed the original gland data, and with that information, there could be new glands growing in mere weeks. All that was missing were the correct surgical implantation and removal techniques.

"Then what do you believe? That he's doing this out of the kindness of his heart?"

"I believe he wants to do some good in this world. To make a change for the better, and, yes, sacrifices happen," he poked himself in the chest, "myself being a prime example. I still believe this project will do that." And he did, even knowing it had caused him to be killed, had caused his brother such heartache and pain, had led to Claire being kidnapped... "Shit," he muttered. "I need to talk to Darien."

She rolled her eyes. "Two grown men and neither one of you can figure out how to use the video camera built into a damn computer. It's amazing how stupid you geniuses can be."

Kevin grunted as if kicked. Stupid indeed. Neither he nor Darien had done anything other than pass notes. Hell, he'd even left one in their old code from when they were kids to keep it private. He felt the need to sit down and so did just a couple feet away from Alyx. "Never even crossed my mind," he admitted. "How smart are you?"

She produced a real smile from somewhere within her unfathomable depths. "Very."

"I brought Darien into this, I want to get him out. Help me do that."

She shook her head. "Not like this."

"What makes you think you know him so well?" Kevin grumbled, not yet convinced she had the right to tell him, his brother, how Darien thought. Kevin knew his brother better than anyone, had lived with him the longest, had put up with his rebellion and arrests and defiance for years, until... until he'd brought him into the project, apparently to get him out of a life sentence conviction. The Official had detailed that to Kevin, with an odd sort of glee in his voice throughout. Kevin had _saved_ Darien.

"Because I'm the one who has spent the better part of the last year with him in the back of my head. I'm the one who has shared his nightmares... literally. I'm the one he talks to when he wakes up shouting your name in the middle of the night. I'd say I know better than anyone, except maybe Bobby, but I bet you haven’t bothered to talk to him either." Alyx looked ready to spit nails, and rightfully so based on what she'd just allowed to slip out. She got to her feet intending to stalk away, but he reached out, and set a hand on her shoulder to stop her. This time prepared for the wave of emotion that flowed into him at the contact.

"Why, Alyx? Why does he hate it so much? He would have gone to prison for life if I hadn’t intervened."

“You wanted him to be thankful? He simply went from one prison to another; this one just had slightly better accommodations. Oh yeah, and a guaranteed chance of him going insane on a regular basis.” She pulled free from his hold. “Damn it Kevin, he hated you for the longest time. For rescuing him and then leaving him to rot. For saving his worthless hide over your own. For dying. For forcing him to live a life he never wanted. Even with me around, he hasn't really come to terms with it. He just doesn’t hate it quite so much now that he can get laid regularly. The Official's little plan for distraction worked as well as he had hoped. Good thing I have a mind of my own and am more than willing to use it.”

_What the hell did that mean?_

"I didn't want to be his play toy, but within minutes of meeting him I had my choices taken away from me. The Official knew exactly how to break me, it just so happened to be Darien. I wasn’t a volunteer for this, wasn’t offered a job. I was kidnapped -- my family thinks I’m dead -- and blackmailed into working here to keep them safe." She turned away pacing the breadth of the roof while he waited. "It’s amazing exactly how naive you are. So busy with your experiments and grandiose plans to change the world for the better that you forgot about all the little people who actually have to _live_ in it. I used to be one of those people and because of you and others like you deciding to play god look where I am today." She stopped spreading her arms wide to encompass the whole of the city spread out before them. "Neither Darien nor I chose this life, but we can choose _how_ we live it."

She was right about some of the things she’d said. He had often been more caught up in the facts and figures, in making the next step towards success, of making that one discovery or creating that one thing that would solve the world’s problems. Working with Gaither and the SWRB had obviously taught him nothing. There had to be limits, someone had to take the time to remember there were consequences to what they were doing and take responsibility, to remember the reason he was doing the things he did. Somewhere along the way he’d forgotten that the purpose was to better the world for the average person and not to just see what lay beyond.

Alyx stood there, waiting, probably for him to proclaim her assertions foolish.  That worrying about one life was of no importance when compared to the whole of the world. Except... except that had been the point of the project. That one man, the right man, used at the right moment could change the world, could make a difference. It just so happened that man had ended up being his brother. A brother he had once thought as a useless layabout for all the intelligence behind those brown eyes, a waste of effort to try to save and put on the right path. And yet... and yet when push came to shove he had trusted his brother the thief, the con man with the most important project in his life. Why? What had changed? Had the death of Cole made him unwilling to risk another agent, a person whose life would have already had great value? Had he thought so little of his brother that he'd risk killing him just to further his goals? Kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Resolve the gland issues with a subject no one would ultimately miss. Christ, could he have sunk so low? He feared he might very well have.

"Tell me he's changed. Tell me he went and grew up since this all happened."

Alyx stared at him as if he'd just spouted nonsense. "I can't." A wistful smile crossed her features. "Some days all I can see is the ten year old hellion that sat at the foot of my bed and tried to cheat me at poker. And others..." She shook her head. "He carries the weight of the world upon his shoulders. All the guilt, all the responsibility hanging on him like a heavy shroud. Has he changed? Probably, but only because it was forced upon him."

"Wait, you met him when he was ten? How..." Kevin trailed off, all the pieces falling into place and the full complex image suddenly becoming clear. "Oh my god, you're _that_ girl. Peter was friends with your parents and consulted when you became ill, what? Twenty years ago."

Alyx's lips compressed into a thin line, clearly not happy he'd figured out the connection.

"You were all he talked about for weeks," Kevin informed her wondering why he hadn’t made the connection before. Damn, what a twisted road they all followed to end up here. It was almost as if the Agency had sucked their two families within it's grasp and had refused to let go.

"He made an impression on me as well," she admitted. "Which is neither here nor there, right now."

True enough, though interesting and something he would like to delve deeper into at a later date it had little bearing on the current situation. “What would you do? Right now, if given the choice.”

“I’d break in and get Claire out and to hell with Arnaud's plans.”

Kevin wasn't the least bit surprised by her response or the vehemence with which it had been said. “All right,” Kevin answered in a soft voice. “How do I help?”

She smiled.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

Kevin watched in bemusement as Hobbes checked the signal from the button camera built into the knit cap Alyx wore atop her head in an effort to confine her unruly curls. They'd spent the afternoon planning this craziness, modifying the original plan to account for Kevin being the second person going in to break out Claire _and_ Arnaud instead of Darien. Not only that, but they would need to wipe any computer systems Arnaud had put the Quicksilver data on. That decision based on their belief that this Stark and Chrysalis were indeed helping Arnaud in his efforts to become visible in exchange for access to the Quicksilver information for themselves.

Whether Arnaud wanted to leave had been heavily debated, but as she had pointed out, they dare not leave him there. Even without Claire, Arnaud still knew too much about the project to be left in their hands. While they didn’t really need his cooperation, it would be far easier to break him out with it. Then again, as Hobbes had pointed out they could always kill him and be done with it, at least until Kevin had countered with having him in hand would mean a better chance at identifying the madness sequence and creating a method to remove it. There'd been some grumbling but eventual agreement, though that did complicate the rescue somewhat.

Alyx hoped to cut a deal with him to earn Arnaud's cooperation.

Kevin squirmed uncomfortably, the tight fitting black clothes not getting along with his geek mentality.

Alyx elbowed him, albeit gently. “Stop it. Dare wears this stuff all the time without getting ants in his pants you shouldn’t be either, Mr. Psychosomatic.”

“Wait a minute, why would he need this stuff if he’s gone straight?” Kevin asked realizing she was probably right with the fact the discomfort was all in his mind.

“And who said a damn thing about him going straight. ‘Sides half the time he’s breaking into places on the ‘Fish’s orders. He is an agent remember?”

Hobbes choked on a laugh from the chair in the back of the van. "Camera's online and working to spec, kid. You said you had an ace up your sleeve, about time you used it."

Alyx sat down on the edge of the doorway and produced a cell phone from the depths of her pockets. "Ta da," she said with full dramatic value.

Kevin chuckled.

"A burner phone, kid? Really?"

"A burner phone that was in with the data Arnaud sent us, with exactly one number programmed into it. Any guess who it's gonna call?" Alyx sounded smug, and she probably should. “And if you say ‘Ghostbusters’ I will be forced to hurt you.”

"And you didn't tell the Official about this, why?" Kevin asked in curiosity.

"Same reason I kept the originals of all the data Arnaud gave us," she answered enigmatically. "Let's see who answers, shall we?" She hit the speed dial for that lone number then hit the speaker so they could all listen in.

It rang three times before it was picked up with a disdainful, _"Took you long enough, Fawkes. The cell not enough of a hint for you?"_

Kevin twitched and opened his mouth to reply, but Alyx silenced him with a look and her voice suddenly in his... Darien's head. _*He thinks you are Darien, do not let him know otherwise.*_

Kevin swallowed hard and nodded feeling all the blood drain from his face.

"Arnie, you never call, you never write," Alyx said sweetly enough though her look was hard.

 _"Vous petite chienne,"_ he snarled then muttered imprecations under his breath in French. _"I suppose I should not be surprised he would involve you with this."_

"Jeez, Arnie, did you forget that I found you already?"

Hobbes chuckled softly. Kevin was simply stunned at the snarky tone she used with the man. Not exactly what he had been expecting for a negotiation.

_"Non, I have not. What is it you want now?"_

"I want Claire back safe and sound. What is it you want?"

The sound of a heavy sigh was easily audible over the phone line. _"I have already made my demands, a viable removal technique."_

"And we both know that is bullshit. It will take months to come up with solution, even with the additional data you provided. You want something from us, I'm here to find out what," she told him with an eye roll. "Stop being an idiot."

 _"You are such a bitch,"_ he laughed. _"Good to know you haven't changed too much since crawling back to the Agency."_

"Thanks, I think. And you are stalling. What do you want more, Arnie, to be Stark's little trained monkey, or to be visible?"

Arnaud sucked in a loud breath and blew it out violently. _"How do you know about Stark?"_

"Does it matter? This is the deal. We come in and get both you and Claire out. I wipe any data you've left for them."

_"And what do I get besides a jail cell?"_

"You get to see yourself in a mirror again." She winked at Kevin and he felt his body relax a tiny bit.

 _"Mon petit jouet, what makes you think I’ll trust you?"_ A hint of amusement had crept into his voice.

" 'Cause you don’t have much choice," she told him tone dry as dust.

_"And that is not true, while not optimal the deal I have worked out with Stark is adequate for now."_

Alyx's eyes widened. "He doesn’t know you have Claire. You sneaky little shit. Which means you still have contacts on the outside."

 _"But that does not mean I am free to come and go as I please,"_ he all but snarled, clearly unhappy about that facet of his... arrangement.

"We will not leave you behind, Arnaud. You can come willingly, or I'll drag you out by your invisible ass and we'll use you for science experiments." How she managed to sound so very bored was beyond Kevin, but he had to admit it was an impressive tactic. "Just to sweeten the pot how about if I promise to make you visible once we are clear?"

Hobbes coughed softly, trying to get her attention, but she ignored him.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked sotto voce.

"She's making promises she might not be able to keep," Hobbes responded in the same manner.

Kevin had no idea why that would be a problem, but it was clear Hobbes thought it was.

Alyx waved her hand to shut them up.

There was silence for long enough to convince Kevin that the call had been dropped. _"Merde, that is not possible."_

"I do not make promises I cannot keep. You know this."

_"Oui. I will assist in your efforts. I cannot guarantee that they have not made copies of my data, however."_

"We expected as much. Wake Claire and gather up anything you can’t live without. Oh, and put on clothes, I don’t need you running around the city all nekkid."

Hobbes laughed aloud at that, while Arnaud sighed in irritation. _"As you wish. We will use more direct communication when you make your move, yes?"_

"Oui. You have sixty minutes to get ready."

 _"We will be,"_ he assured her followed by the click of him disconnecting the call.

"Kid, you gave him time to rat us out to Stark, or call his own people in," Hobbes groused. "They'll be waiting for us."

She shrugged and shoved the phone back into her pocket. "Which is why we are going in thirty," she informed him with a sly grin.

Hobbes wagged a finger at her. "And you called him sneaky."

She grinned and preened. Actually _preened_ much Kevin's utter amazement. "Now to contact Claire and have her ready to rock and roll when we come in early."

"How are you going to accomplish that?" Kevin asked.

"With my incredible mind powers," she replied sardonically. Then closed her eyes and visibly relaxed.

Kevin wanted to smack himself for his sudden stupidity. She would use her telepathy, of course, the same ability that had allowed her to find Claire would also allow her to communicate with her and plan their escape on the sly.

"S'okay, Doc. This kind of stuff takes a while to get used to," Hobbes assured him from the depths of the van. "Some of the stuff she does still wigs me out on occasion."

"Understandable, considering how rare those with her type of her abilities are." Beyond true as far as Kevin could be concerned. Until he'd met Alyx he hadn’t believed in those types of abilities even though he would have been willing to admit they were possible in theory. The human brain was capable of so very much and so underused that it did not surprise him that someone had managed to tap into that potential and find a way to bring it to life. The fact that she seemed to have ended up with a multitude of abilities was the surprising part. And at such a strong level. Bending spoons was one thing, lifting cars into the air with only the mind was a horse of a different color entirely. He was looking forward to reading the details of the QSX Project in general and her case in specific once all of this had been dealt with.

Alyx remained silent for almost ten minutes, before opening her eyes. "Claire is more than ready to get out of there. She'll be ready."

"Good. Kid, there's one thing we didn’t plan for." Hobbes nodded towards Kevin. "He's on a severe time limit when it comes to the Quicksilver. I didn’t talk to Jennings, did you?"

Kevin pulled back the sleeve of the snug fitting shirt to reveal the snake tattoo on his... Darien's right wrist. Only three segments remained green. "How much time do I have?" he asked showing the tattoo to Alyx.

"About ten minutes, she told him, so you will not be using any more Quicksilver than necessary," she answered then turned to Hobbes. "As for Counteragent, we're covered." She reached into her computer bag and removed a small gray case. She opened it up to reveal a syringe filled with a bright blue liquid.

"Kid... I don’t want to know do I?"

"Depends, do you want to be able to use the plausible deniability excuse when we get back to the office?"

"Uh, I'm thinking yes," Hobbes answered, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Then as far as you know I got this from Jennings," she responded as she zipped the case shut and handed it over to him for safe keeping. Then she was back in the bag and removing an odd looking piece of electronics. It looked like it had been jury-rigged together from a half-dozen other pieces and Kevin had no idea what it could be for.

"What's that?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"This nifty toy will get us into all the places I can’t on my own," she explained, flipping buttons on the hand sized box.

Hobbes grimaced. "I've seen that before," he muttered. "Fawkes was playing with that a couple weeks back. Where did it come from?"

Alyx shrugged. "I built it. It's mostly for you guys to use when I'm not available. It should get you into most places the way I can. Given we're up against Stark, I thought back-up might be useful just in case they layer their security. I'm good, but even I can’t see _everything_."

Hobbes nodded. "Good. I want to play with it after. Fawkes wouldn't even let me look at the damn thing."

"Sure, Bobby." She shivered lightly, as if shedding invisible drops of water. "You ready, Kevin?"

"I guess so." His lack of confidence could probably be heard in his voice.

"Just remember you're Darien as far as Arnaud is concerned. If he figures out you're Kevin we'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with," Hobbes reminded.

Kevin nodded, not wanting to think about what Arnaud might do if he learned the gland could be used in this manner. "I will. Uh, stupid question, don’t we need walkie talkies or something?"

Alyx glanced over at Hobbes who snorted in obvious amusement.

_*Or something ready for duty, sir.*_

Kevin shook his head as his own foolishness. "Clearly, I have no idea what I'm doing." He sighed heavily when Hobbes laughed. “This is not exactly my line of work.”

Alyx just rolled her eyes. “Like it was mine? I’ll keep your ass safe there, bub. No worries.”

 

 

They were in the service elevator, the camera inside looped to show nothing but an empty car. Kevin had found the process far too simple and fully expected something serious to go wrong at any moment. Apparently, Alyx could feel his concern thanks to the light link she'd set up between them. Oddly enough, he could also feel Hobbes faintly in the background and knew anything he thought directly at either of them both would hear, all thanks to Alyx. Because of what she was, she could talk mind to mind with literally anyone, and through her allow those she chose to talk to each other. She would inevitably overhear, but it was an interesting twist on the theorized workings of telepathy. She could not only send and receive but play relay... or party line, where multiple connections could speak together at once. He wondered if she planned to add Claire in once they had reached their destination. 

 _*Yes, I do,*_ she responded to his unspoken question. _*If things go fubar I want you to take Claire, Quicksilver and go. I will deal with Arnaud and Stark. Understood?*_

He got it and nodded slowly. She was completely different than when working over a computer, completely in control and completely sure of what she needed to do. He was impressed. Following her lead, they waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor. As the numbers ticked up past twenty-one she reached out and grabbed his hand and a second later he felt her Quicksilver crawling over him.

Again, where she touched him he could feel her, granted through two pairs of gloves, the Quicksilver only covering those areas necessary to keep them invisible from sight. Interesting, and not something he'd made note of when dealing with a permanently invisible Cole. When the doors opened there was no one waiting on the other side and they stepped out into what was clearly the service hall for this section of the building.

According to the schematics, the entire floor was owned by Stork Corporation, and the lone door with the company’s logo on it seemed to bear that out. Kevin could see odd glowing lines crossing various parts of the hallway, but had no clue what they could be. _*Alyx?*_

 _*Security lasers. They won’t register us,*_ she told him, making her way swiftly to the double doors, dragging him along for the ride. The doors had a card swipe plus a keypad to the left, which she moved directly to without any hesitation. She shifted his hand to her shoulder so she could deal with the lock directly.

He watched as she shed the Quicksilver from the palm side of her hand, the fingertips bare and set them against the mechanism. She required a direct connection, he realized, her skin acting as the conductor. He wondered if she had considered modifying her gloves with wires, which should allow her to make the connections she needed without having to remove them and risk leaving prints behind. He could feel her fiddling with it, using her mind to get the lock to do what she needed, and it took mere seconds for the light to come on and the door to click open. When she moved, he followed right along, his hand sliding down her arm and back into hers. It was weird how comfortable it felt there, as if his... Darien's hand belonged wrapped within hers.

And that was a distraction he didn’t need at this time, muscle memory feeling as real as those he was creating and storing within Darien's mind. He'd have to make a note to let Alyx know about that, how the body reacted to certain signals specific to her no matter that he... Kevin were in control.

_*Hey, Keepy, would you like a rescue?*_

The shout of, _*Bloody damn well time.*_ in his head almost made him wince at its virtual volume. Even Kevin could feel the irritation buried within Claire's words. Clearly, she hadn’t expected to be left hanging for a week, and he had to agree with that. She was too vital to the Agency to have just been left swinging in the wind all this time.

_*Be ready.*_

_*Always am,*_ she informed them, her mental voice damn well sending shivers down his spine. Kevin sure as hell hadn’t been expecting that kind of reaction to hearing Claire's voice after all these years. He shook it off as Alyx made her way into what looked like a lab and not what he'd imagined a fertility clinic to look like.

 _*This isn’t the public clinic,*_ Alyx informed him, tone darker that the unlit room about them, which thanks to the Quicksilver was clear as day if washed out due to the lack of color differentiation.

 _*Then what...*_ His words stuttered to a halt when he saw the tanks that clearly contained embryos, dozens of them. _*Christ, this is a full scale genetics lab.*_ What in the name of all that was holy could this Stark being doing with human embryos, and why?

 _*Later for this. We still need to finish the job at hand.*_ She sounded calm, but Kevin had learned enough about her to know when she'd been rattled, and she'd been rattled but good. _*You copy that, Bobby?*_

_*Yeah, kid. Now get the Keep out of there.*_

Alyx didn’t bother to respond, just upped her speed, heading for the hallway, then made a beeline for where the Claire in their heads waited for them. A few lights were on, techs bent over Petri dishes or computers working late into the night, but not a single one noticed them as she kept them swathed in the Quicksilver for the duration.

The room they wanted was in the center of the building with no external windows, which was part of the reason the rescue had been such a bitch to set up. Again she had the door lock singing to her tune in no time at all and they walked inside to find what appeared to be luxury apartment that had mated with a small lab. Claire held a small pistol aimed at a set of clothes that sat in a nearby chair.

"I said I would work with you on this, did you forget?" Arnaud's voice wafted out from the direction of the clothes.

"Let's just say I wanted to take no chances," Alyx told him as she allowed the Quicksilver to spill away from them. "Your computer."

He waved vaguely at a desk across the room.

"Fawkes, watch him," Alyx directed as she moved over to Claire who still pointed the gun at the invisible man across the room. She, however, could move no closer as she was shackled to the floor. She had about six feet of play, but no more. Alyx did something and the chain snapped leaving Claire wearing the cuff, but free to move.

"That is not our only problem." Claire shifted her shirtsleeve to reveal another cuff, this one about an inch wide and with a glowing green strip. "I was told the shock would be more than enough to render me unconscious should I pass through the threshold."

Alyx turned her head to gaze at Arnaud, one eyebrow rising on her forehead. The shoulders of the shirt shrugged. "I am not above learning a trick or two."

"So long as you learn from the best," Alyx easily riposted with.

Arnaud laughed. "Ah, my dear, I have so missed our conversations."

Alyx took the gun from Claire and tossed it to Kevin, who bobbled it only a little. He wasn't the best shot on the planet, but not horrible either. He made certain he had a good grip on it and pointed it at Arnaud.

"And what's to stop him from shooting me?" Arnaud complained, actual concern in his voice.

"Nothing," Alyx answered, "so I suggest you behave." She turned her attention to the cuff about Claire's wrist. Her focus obviously turned inward as she checked it out. "I can turn it off, but it'll send an alert when I do so."

"And if I walk out the door with it on, it will do so as well," Claire said with a heavy sigh.

"So we split the difference and I play distraction as usual." Alyx walked over to the laptop and picked it up. She handed it to Claire. "I'm going to fry the cuff. You and Fawkes will leave, while me and Arnie take the bad guys on a field trip."

"Merde," Arnaud muttered. "Do you at least have a plan, mon petite?"

"Mais oui," she assured him with a tight smile. "You two will have plenty of time, don’t worry."

"Alyx, I--"

Alyx cut Kevin off quickly. "You remember the route out?"

"Yes." No way he would have forgotten that.

"Use it and all will be fine. We'll meet you at the van as planned, okay?"

"Do I have a choice?" he grouched.

"Not a one."

"Then we'll see you there."  Kevin had the feeling she'd make him go no matter how rational an argument he made, and he needed to trust her, trust that she knew what she was doing, and that she'd put his life into no unnecessary risk.

She rubbed her hands together. "Ready kiddies?"

"As I ever am," Claire answered.

Alyx nodded. "Over here you two. Got to make this a speed record." She set a hand on each of their shoulders and let the Quicksilver flow everywhere except Claire's wrist, which impressed the hell out of Kevin. Partial Quicksilvering to oneself was one thing, but to someone else? It shouldn’t have been possible. Alyx moved her hand to the cuff and a moment later the light on it went dark. This was quickly followed by security lights coming on. Claire's wrist disappeared and Alyx said, "Go."

Claire didn't hesitate, and with a tight grip on Kevin's hand, practically pulled him from the room. "Where to?"

"This way," Kevin said and turned left making his way to the main elevators and not the service one they had come up by. Sirens added themselves to the flashing lights, which meant Alyx had begun her distraction. He found the elevator with little trouble and pressed the up button. His heart pounded in his chest and he suspected that it was his Quicksilver now coating them and not Alyx's. He was currently an odd mix of terrified and exhilarated.

Kevin suddenly heard, _*Two on the way out via the planned route, two more faking it. Don’t worry about the alarms.*_

The mental sigh from Hobbes was surprisingly audible. _*Got it. Secondary rendezvous for group two?*_

_*Yes, please. And bring duct tape, someone is being whiny.*_

Hobbes' mental laughter was loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Darien, they will have locked the elevators."

Kevin almost corrected her, but since it would lead to a discussion instead of an escape, he just went with it. "I have the feeling Alyx will have taken care of that." An instant later the door binged and opened, revealing no one inside.

He wanted to go up, but the car went down instead, probably going to the ground floor where it would indeed be locked out until the security breach issues had been dealt with. The back of his skull began to ache dully and he suspected that if he could see the tattoo on his wrist it would be quickly shifting from green to red. His fear-laced excitement surely having caused him to Quicksilver and replace the coating of Alyx’s with his… Darien’s own.  He had mere minutes before the Madness would begin to affect his judgment. "We need to hurry," he warned her.

"Oh, bloody hell," Claire growled. "Just behave until we can get you your shot."

"Yes, mom," he snarked, sounding remarkably like Darien even to his ears.

When the elevator doors opened there were two security guards standing there, staring right through… around them.

"See, it's empty," guard one said to the other.

"Doesn’t explain why it arrived after all the others," grumbled guard number two. Still arguing, they both walked away, heading back to their post at the front desk. Moments later the police arrived, the guards unlocking the doors to let them in, this allowed Kevin and Claire to slip out into the early morning darkness, which was currently very bright thanks to all the police and emergency vehicle lights spinning about.

Kevin took the lead and moved off to the right where Hobbes should be waiting with the van. The Quicksilver fell from them halfway there, which he barely noticed as his head exploded in pain. He swung back to reality to find himself on the ground with Claire hovering above him with a concerned look on her face. "Ow, that hurts," he groused, noting that just the pain alone would be an effective control mechanism. Leash indeed. And an exceedingly short one at that.

"I know, sweetheart," Claire said soothingly. "We need to get you to the van. Can you stand?"

"I think so?" He struggled to sit up, strange voices whispering in the back of his head, making suggestions that at any other time would have shocked him, only now they seemed like quite fine ideas. He hadn’t really gotten a chance to look over Claire in the building, but now that he could, he noticed that while disheveled, she was quite lovely in the low cut blouse and slacks. He might not have seen her in a decade. But he'd be more than willing to pick up right where they had left off. "Claire..."

"Come on, we need to get you out of here," she pulled him to his feet, the gun he had dropped when he fell now tucked into the front of her pants, the laptop in her right hand.

He could see the van less than fifty yards away, and in it was the Counteragent. That thought caused a surprisingly huge surge of need to rush through him. He _wanted_ that syringe of blue liquid in a way he'd wanted nothing else in his life. And that snapped him back from the edge, from those dark, dangerous thoughts he'd just been having about Claire. That was nothing more than the toxin taking hold, breaking down his corticle functions and making him want to do things he'd never consider when in his right mind. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."

Together they made their way to the van, Hobbes ready and waiting with the Counteragent when they arrived, Kevin collapsing into the back as the gland reasserted itself over him. There was one bright pinpoint of pain followed by a sudden rush then nothing but blessed darkness.

 

…

“Hey, sweet thang, care to party?" 

Alyx stopped, the van doing so as well, and she sauntered over to it. “Well now, that would depend on what you had in mind and how much you could afford.”

“Alyx!” Claire sounded shocked before she burst out laughing from the back of the van. “Get in."

"Merde," Arnaud muttered, clearly unimpressed.

The side door slid open and Alyx manhandled Arnaud inside. She pushed him down to the floorboards. “Stay. Or I'll let Claire shoot you in the knee for kidnapping her."

"I may shoot him anyway," the good Keeper said in a saccharine sweet voice.

Hobbes snorted in amusement. "That's my Keepy."

"Oh, I am so scared," Arnaud snarked.

Alyx wagged an admonishing finger at him. "Behave."

Arnaud huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t say another word.

Alyx slipped through the pass through and sat in Darien's lap, much to his pleasure. “I take it we had to delve into the counteragent supply?” she asked as she leaned in and ran the tip of her nose along his neck.

He knew she was smelling him, which he no longer found weird, in fact he kind of missed it when she went out of town for long periods. She used all her senses, and he suspected that when Kevin was driving the bus things felt off to her, so when he came back she needed to confirm that it was indeed him.

“That we did, I’m afraid,” Claire offered up, Alyx leaning about to look at her.

“Expected and planned for, obviously.  Any other problems?”

Claire shook her head.  “Not a one, thankfully, though I suspect your trip out was a tad more exciting.”

Arnaud grunted.  “You could say that.”

“Hey, you’re out.  Quit bitching,” Alyx groused, quite plainly running out of patience with Arnaud and his whining.

“Where’s that duct tape?” Darien asked in total, if feigned, innocence.

Arnaud huffed, but nothing else was forthcoming, thankfully.

Hobbes pulled back out onto the street and headed the van back towards the Agency. "Kid, did you get the data?"

Alyx leaned around the seat to look at the laptop Claire still held tightly in her free hand. "Yep. Though I got a bit carried away with their computer system."

"Define carried away," Arnaud requested from the back.

"Let's just say I hope they back up their data off site, 'cause they ain't gonna get anything of value out of those servers ever again."

"Jeez, kid, you were just supposed to wipe the Quicksilver data," Hobbes pointed out as he made a sharp right.

"Non, she is right. What they were doing there... even I did not care for," Arnaud said, surprising everyone.

"What were they doing in there?" Darien wondered aloud.

"I'll put everything into my report," Alyx assured them, "but none of you will like it." She swung back around to look at Arnaud. "Though I can see why they allowed you use of the facility. It would be perfect for your uses."

"Oui, and your friend Stark will be most upset that I will no longer be providing him the data he wanted on Quicksilver," Arnaud chuckled dryly.

"No, I don't imagine he will," Claire muttered.

"You saw Stark?" Darien asked.

"No. As far as I know, he never even visited the facility. I saw Arnaud..." She paused grinning at the irony of her words, "so to speak and several of the men who worked for him. He had been given a surprising amount of autonomy."

Hobbes pulled the van into the parking area of the Agency. "Home base, kiddies. Everyone out."

"Arnie, you are going to be a good little terrorist and come with me. Hobbes, please escort Claire and that computer to the Keep. Jennings should be gone for the night. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes." She opened the door and slid out onto the ground. "Care to join me, Dare?"

"Jennings? David Jennings? Why is he here?" Claire asked, gun still aimed casually at Arnaud.

Hobbes sighed as he climbed into the rear with her. "Later, Claire, we have so much other shit to deal with first."

Darien had followed Alyx and slid open the side door, just looking down at his nemesis, the man who had killed his brother, that same brother who had insanely followed Alyx in to rescue Claire and bring the terrorist bastard out in one piece. "Why's he along for the ride anyway?" he questioned debating the merits of snagging the gun from Claire and planting a bullet between his eyes... or somewhere close anyway.

Hobbes answered. "We have our reasons, Fawkes, which we'll explain, promise."

Claire's brows knit in confusion. "But..." She didn’t finish the sentence, based on the widening of her eyes, Alyx had derailed her train of thought with a mental nudge, which meant she didn’t know about Kevin yet and they certainly didn’t want Arnie getting wind of it. "All right, you. Up and at 'em."

"My, my, Dr. Keeply, settling right in with the colonials aren’t you."

"Douche, be nice or I'll sic Alyx on you," Darien warned.

"And why should I be afraid of that?"

"Me, I'll just kill you. Alyx... Well, she'll _hurt_ you and I'll get to watch," Darien finished. Alyx, going along with the con, smiled that oh so dangerous smile of hers and he was rewarded by hearing Arnaud audibly swallow.

Claire handed the pistol to Alyx, who nudged Arnaud with it. They all headed inside, splitting up after the first corner, Claire and Bobby going to the Keep, Darien, Alyx and their guest heading for the cage in the basement. Not the fanciest of accommodations, but far more than he deserved.

"Here you go, home sweet home," Darien sing-songed as he swung the cell door open and gestured for Arnaud to enter.

"Really, is there nothing better after my cooperation?"

"It's this or the padded room and that has no bathroom. Though the padding is probably more comfortable than the cot to sleep on." Alyx didn’t sound as if she cared which he chose for his accommodations, in fact she was sounding rather tired and cranky, which might be dead on, as he had no idea how long she'd been awake. Hell, he had no idea how long his body had been conscious, but suspected he hadn’t seen his share of beauty sleep in a while. Sudden personality change due to Counteragent was not the same as getting his eight hours.

"This will do." He stepped inside and Darien swung the door shut, enjoying the sound of steel on steel with Arnaud on the opposite side.

"See you in the morning, Arnie. My boss is going to enjoy talking to you."

"Not yet," Arnaud snarled from inside the cell. "You promised."

"Yes, I did," Alyx agreed and stepped up to the bars. "Come here, I won’t bite... much."

Darien had no idea what was going on, as he hadn’t been around when she'd made whatever deal she had made with the Swiss bastard. He watched as she Quicksilvered her hand and grasped Arnaud's firmly in her own. With a look of deep concentration on her face the Quicksilver fell away... from both of them.

“Merde,” Arnaud swore and jerked away from her. Then softer, in total astonishment, “I am visible.”

"And our deal is complete." She stepped away, looking at him. He was far from his usual pristine and polished self, his hair long and disheveled, and a rough beard on his normally clean-shaven countenance. "I'll make certain the basics are brought in within the next couple of hours." Her look hardened. "Do not make me regret this."

Arnaud was staring at his hands in amazement. "How long?"

While Darien failed to, Alyx clearly understood the question being asked. "So long as you don’t Quicksilver, you should remain visible."

In a stunned voice, he said, "Thank you," and sounded like he really meant it.

Alyx just shook her head and walked away, leaving Darien alone with him. "You don’t deserve this," he stated tone cold.

Arnaud shrugged. "Probably not, but she keeps her word, who am I to argue with it?"

Darien surged forward causing Arnaud to jerk backwards and stumble into the wall. Darien wrapped his hands about the bars. "You are the bastard that killed my brother. You deserve to suffer."

Arnaud growled. "Thanks to your bitch's mind games, I do. However, it looks like I might need her... and you to correct the problem I have found myself with."

Darien laughed bitterly. "You better have something really good to bargain with."

"Oh, I do. The one thing I know your Keeper and girlfriend have not yet discovered." He smiled, back to his smug, irritating self. "The gene for the Madness."

Darien glared, wishing he dared swing open that door, charge in and throttle the bastard until he begged for mercy. He'd done it once before, in a bout of Madness while dying from a lovely version of the flu, only to be thwarted by Claire. Oh, the list of things Claire would love to ask the man. Yeah, he had the perfect coin to trade, and he damn well knew it. "Shit."

Arnaud laughed.

"Darien, c'mon before I'm forced to shut him up," Alyx called from the hallway.

Darien sighed and walked out into the hall. Two Agency men were there already, Alyx giving them their marching orders when it came to Arnaud. "Not a problem, Agent Silver. We'll keep him on ice until you are ready for him."

"Thanks," she told them then smiled up at Darien. "Let's see how the Keep is, shall we?"

"Sure, might keep me from wanting to spit nails." He draped an arm over her shoulder. "Been busy saving the day, have you?"

She sighed and leaned into him, clearly wanting the contact. "Against orders. The 'Fish is gonna try to tear me a new one in the morning."

Darien stopped, dragging her to a halt as well. "Wait. He didn’t send you after Claire?"

"Nope. Didn’t believe that Stark was involved with the clinic either," Alyx told him, barely keeping from snarling. "Kevin volunteered to go in and get her. And Claire knows nothing about Kevin. I have the feeling this is gonna get weird."

"Gonna get weird? Have you not been paying attention the last few days?"

She managed a soft laugh at that. "Okay, weirder. You happy now?"

He shook his head. "No, but I'm better. Damn, how long has Kev been awake?"

She urged them into forward motion again. "You tired?"

"Not exactly? _I_ feel awake, my body feels like pudding with too much milk in it."

Alyx snorted. "Colorful description there, bub. Kevin has been running the show for a good twenty hours now. Little wonder you feel like crap."

"Did he at least get something of use done during that time?" Darien grouched. Would be nice if Kevin had thought to sleep every now and then.

"Well, we did rescue Claire," she reminded.

"Oh, yeah." He gave her a squeeze. "Guess that counts for something."

"Counts for a lot, Fawkes," Hobbes said as they turned the final corner to find him standing there. "Was just coming to make sure you two were okay. Is our guest all tucked in?"

"Yep, Clark and Trent are babysitting. And he's happily admiring his reflection again." Alyx slipped away from Darien and into the Keep.

"You okay, Fawkes?"

Darien shrugged. "Not really, but there's nothing I can do about it right now."

"You'll get your chance, Fawkes. The Official... Oh crap. The Official is gonna have a heart attack."

Darien snorted. "Because we caught Arnaud, or because we freed Claire?"

"Both?"

"Don't worry, boys, I'll take the fall for this one," Alyx called out from inside the Keep. "Get in here, we have a Claire to debrief."

"Now that I can handle," Hobbes said with a leer.

Darien laughed. "You, always on that train to Naughtyville."

"Least when it comes to our Keepy, I am."

"I heard all that, you know," Claire said from the far side of the lab. Alyx was the one playing doctor, this time, stethoscope about her neck, blood pressure cuff about the Keep's upper arm.

"Good, means your hearing works just fine," Alyx commented distractedly. She unwrapped the cuff. "Overall you're fine. Lost a few pounds. BP a bit high, probably due to stress, but otherwise healthy. I would recommend a good night's sleep and about two thousand calories of food."

"And Pavlov is just fine. Living high on the hog at a high-end doggy day care. Me and Hobbes have been taking turns checking in on him."

"Oh dear, he must be worried sick about me." Claire settled back into the chair, looking worse for wear.

"He's fine, Keep. You up for some news?" Hobbes had moved to her side, looking serious.

"Can it wait?"

Hobbes glanced over at his partners, both of whom shook their heads. "No, Claire. Though you probably won’t get a good night's sleep after I tell you."

"Oh, bloody hell. Just get it over with. I wasn't going to get a good night's sleep anyway."

"That wasn't Darien who got you out... it was Kevin," Alyx said, not giving Hobbes the chance to dance around it. "Three days after you were taken, one day after Arnaud's demands were received the Official enacted what is called the Return Protocol and chose Kevin Fawkes."

Claire looked stunned, Darien felt confused. "The Return Protocol? He had plans drawn up for this?"

"Yes," Alyx stated. "It's been in the works since shortly after the Cole incident. I'm not certain who worked on the viability of the project, though Claire' notes are in the file, including her risk assessment."

"Actually, I did, but only in a theoretical sense.  I never expected for it to ever be used.” She paused a look of true consternation on her features. “Wait, you've been sharing your body with Kevin for nearly a week?"

Darien nodded.

Claire turned back to Alyx. "Why didn't you stop this?"

"Kid was out of town when this went down, remember?"

Claire thought for a moment then nodded. "Working with the FBI, but wasn't she recalled as soon as I went missing?"

Hobbes shook his head. "No, in fact the boss extended her job with them. She came home on her own and found Kevin at Fawkes' place." He rubbed the top of his head. "It's been an interesting week.

"A sleepless one for some of us," Alyx grumbled.

Claire still looked slightly stunned. "Kevin, your brother?" she asked of Darien.

"Yeah, but this Kevin predates my joining the project."

Claire blinked. "What?"

Alyx explained, "The mRNA sample used to accomplish this was taken shortly after the death of Simon Cole but prior to Darien joining the project."

"So Kevin knows nothing about the madness. No wonder you requested more data and those samples." Claire rubbed her forehead, as if a headache were building there. "And Jennings was brought in to play Keeper, yes?"

Hobbes growled, "He was brought in to replace you."

"Don't sound so upset, Bobby. I've been the one keeping Dr. Jennings up to date on my progress. He was the best choice in this situation, though why the Official would leave me with Arnaud..." she shook her head. "I am clearly too tired to comprehend his motives at the moment. I imagine I will find out tomorrow."

"I imagine we all will," Alyx said softly. "I have some other concerns about Jennings, but we can discuss them later, after you've gotten some sleep." She turned to Hobbes. "Would you mind escorting her home, Bobby?"

"Not at all." He held out his hand, which Claire took as she slid off the exam chair. "Maybe a run through In and Out on the way?" he suggested.

"Not the healthiest fare, but it'll do on this occasion. Also, and I know this is an imposition, but would you mind staying? I'm afraid I don't really feel comfortable remaining alone right now."

If Hobbes was surprised, he covered it smoothly. "Not a problem, Claire. I'll camp out on your couch and make sure you're safe."

She sighed in obvious relief. "Thank you. Alyx, you should get some sleep as well."

"She will," Darien assured her. "I may not, kinda want my turn in the driver's seat."

"I picked up some new movies, you can also camp out on the couch, and I'll curl up next to you." Alyx ducked her head. "I'd rather not be alone either."

"Deal," Darien said softly. He glanced at his watch. "It's oh three thirty. What say we meet back here at ten to face the music together?”

Both Claire and Bobby nodded in agreement. "I'll call the kid once we’re conscious so's we can coordinate our arrival."

"Works," Darien agreed. "C'mon, sweets, lets go home."

She sighed and leaned against him. "You have no idea how much I've missed hearing you say that."

 


	7. Chapter 7

They stopped by his apartment so he could pack an overnight bag then headed for her place.  With so little in the way of food open at such an early hour, he figured he’d scrounge what he could out of her fridge.  Of course, scrounging at her place was generally the equivalent of a four-course meal, as she tended to cook like a crazy woman when she could and simply stored the bounty as easy to reheat meals.  So while she grabbed a shower he pulled out a variety of foodstuffs and created a veritable feast, which he hoped would help with the odd lack of energy he was feeling.  Had to admit it was one of the weirder sensations he’d ever experienced.  His mind wide-awake and raring to go, while his body just wanted to collapse and sleep for ten hours.  This wouldn’t do, Kevin needed to do his part taking care of the body or bad things would be certain to happen… to both of them.

When she finally staggered out wearing her customary jammies of tank top and shorts, she looked wretched; her hair a mass of damp snarls and a bone deep look of weariness on her face.  Darien was at her side in an instant with a glass of orange juice in his hand for her.

“Drink,” he ordered as he plucked the comb from her hair and steered her towards the sofa, which he had prepared for her, pillows and blankets already in place and awaiting her presence.  “Have you been eating?”

She chugged the juice, shooting a glare at him over the top of her glass. “Yes, mother,” she snarked as she handed the empty container back to him.  “Been sleeping too, kinda.”

He set the glass aside and gently shoved her down onto the cushions.  “Just not enough to counter the effects of all the mental work you’ve been doing, I’m betting.”

She sighed.  “You’d be right about that.  My head is killing me,” she admitted, retrieving the comb from his hand and attempting to tame her unruly mass of curls.

He could tell when she gave it up as a useless endeavor, the comb hitting one particularly bad snarl and becoming entrapped.  He managed to not laugh, but barely.  “Here, let me.”

As carefully as possible he untangled the comb from her hair and went to work on turning the mass of damp snarls into her glorious curls.  As he worked his way through the snags he could feel her relax one slow step at a time.  “Now what has you so tied up in knots?”  He kept his voice as gentle as his touch, not wanting her to tense back up, but sensing she needed to talk.  He just wasn’t certain it was to him.

She managed a shrug.  “What doesn’t at this point?”  She tipped her head down in what looked like a vain effort to stretch her neck muscles.  “Rescuing Claire hasn’t really solved anything, I’m afraid.”

“I’m getting that impression.  Could he have wanted her in there for a reason?” He set the comb aside and began working his fingers through the still damp strands, looking for any knots he may have missed.  When he found none, he swiftly braided her hair, holding his hand out for the ponytail holder she would have on hand once he had finished.  Literally, as it turned out as it was about her left wrist.  He tossed the braid over her shoulder then moved his hands to her shoulders, cautiously digging his thumbs into her upper back, shocked that the knots in her muscles were worse than those in her hair.

"How long have you been this tight?"  He dug his thumbs into a particularly fierce knot along her spine, her head tipping forward even more as she made every effort to relax for him.

"Uh, about a week before I got home," she told him, voice muffled by her position.

Darien felt t thrill of shock go through him.  "That was right 'bout the same time we invited Kev over to play."  He leaned forward to rest his forehead against the back of her neck.  "We should have realized you'd feel it."

She shrugged.  "I just knew something felt off, I had no idea what," she responded at a mumble.  His presence and the massage actually encouraging her to relax, which meant she might actually sleep.

"Sorry, baby, didn't mean to add to your stress level."  He meant that.  He wished he hadn't gotten stuck in the back of her head; the link permanent and only dulled by distance, not severed.  He, quite literally, could not stub his toe without her knowing about it.

"S'okay.  I just finished the job and got back here soonest."  She straightened and twisted about to look at him, concern and worry written in every line of her body.  "D..."

He wrapped his arms bout her.  "I'll be all right, really."  He kissed her gently, making her sigh softly.  "Lay down and get some sleep.  You need to recharge."

She grumbled, but did as he had asked, eschewing the pillow in favor of his thigh on which to rest her poor, tired head, clearly wanting to be as close as possible tonight... this morning.  "Speaking of which, I can... recharge your battery as well... if you like."

She shifted, rolling onto her back to stretch for a long moment, before curling up, facing the rear of the sofa, her forehead pressed firmly against his stomach, reminiscent of the way she often slept with him in bed.  He draped his arm over her shoulder, fingers trailing lightly across her back.

"Umm, how?"

"I'll just open that link a bit more on my end and feed some of the excess energy to you."

 _Huh_.  He hadn't known she could do that.  "Sure, I guess.  It won't fry my synapses or nothing will it?"

She snorted in amusement.  "Not a chance as I like your synapses working as they should.  You won't even have to stay in direct contact.  I can work via WiFi."

Darien laughed softly and settled deeper in the cushions.  Everything he could need for the next little while in easy reach on the table next to him.  He brushed his fingers across her face and her eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again.  He felt a mild tingle in the back of his head where her presence usually resided, but nothing untoward.  Still, it took several more minutes before he felt her body relax enough to signal she might actually have drifted off.

Cautiously, Darien turned the television on, but she didn't move at all, which was a fairly decent sign she had fallen into some level of unconsciousness.  He chose a channel at random for the time being, just wanting the background noise instead of something to watch.

His presence, perception of her somehow dominant to those other personas, and he suspected his being AWOL half the time had been having an adverse effect on her; undoing weeks of work holding herself together.

The ground beneath their feet still remained shaky and unstable after their recent and thankfully temporary break-up.  Not that she’d wanted any part of it – the break-up, that is.  No, that had been all on his own head.  His determination to not lose her, causing him to walk away when she’d balked at making their relationship a permanent one.  It remained an issue between them, one they had yet to really sit down and discuss thanks to work keeping them busy and her out of town more often than not.

He just wished he understood why.

She wanted to be with him, but expected nothing from him.  It was unlike any relationship he’d had before.  No demands and no expectations other than to be himself.  Sadly, what he wanted from her seemed to be more than she was willing to give, apparently.

It hurt.

And he knew his unhappiness, no matter how tightly wrapped within he kept it, could still be felt by her.  Still, it would be far, _far_ worse without her at all.  He knew, he’d tried, ignoring her for over a week before his utter misery drove him to seek her out and make a tentative effort at putting their relationship back together.

Darien knew they… well, he, at least, was just coasting along.  Being together still remained preferable to being apart even if he wasn’t fully satisfied with the direction, or lack their of, they were heading in their relationship.

He sighed deeply.  He kind of understood her reticence after learning exactly how her husband had treated her during their marriage, but he would never do that to her.  He liked her independent and strong-willed. And had no interest making her kowtow to his every whim.  So he tried to understand and not pressure her, and knowing he was probably failing at that.

He shook his head at his own foolishness.  She was here, with him now and _that_ was all that mattered.  And she was here by choice, her choice and would just have to make do with that for now.

Beside him Alyx huffed in her sleep as if irritated by the tenor of his mental musings, which could quite possibly be true.  There were days he remained certain he’d never understand her.  And yet… yet he knew with a certainty he felt in his bones that she _needed_ him and wanted no part of living without him in her life.  And that he cherished.  To know he was wanted, just because he was Darien Fawkes, meant more that she could ever possibly understand.  Then again, she might just be the one person in his life who would.

And now this had happened.  Half his life taken over by his dead brother.  He hadn’t taken Alyx into consideration when making his decision, not that there’d been a real option at the time, but in hindsight he probably should have.  Too late by far at this point.  How to deal with it was the current issue.  Maybe talk to Claire?  Hell, maybe talk to Kevin.  Make him understand how important Alyx was to his life.  Darien wanted no part of living his life without her, but this sharing of his time and body might just be enough to drive her away. 

He glanced down at her sleeping form.  Then again, maybe not.  When Darien was in control she seemed to crave the contact, his body being up and moving when Kev was in control not enough for her.  Just the fact she hadn’t been sleeping was worrisome, though neither had Bobby really.  Both working their asses off to get Claire back.  Maybe now that she was home safe and sound things could return to some resemblance normal.

Yeah, right.  Come morning all hell would most certainly break loose and Alyx would be taking the brunt of the abuse.  The Official had a reason for everything he did no matter how insane it seemed at the time, which made Darien concerned they may have screwed up whatever plans he'd hatched while Claire was AWOL.  Crap.  Though if there had been a plan wouldn’t Claire have been aware of it?

Clearly, he was too tired to figure this out, or too stupid, maybe.  The Official's machinations would confuse Rube Goldberg, wheels within wheels within wheels ad infinitum.

He sighed softly and picked up the remote, hoping to find something other than infomercials to watch at this hour.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

The Official was _pissed_.  Really pissed, but he hid it under a smile, only the deadly narrowing of his eyes giving the game away.  Eberts stood stonily silent behind his lord and master, however, he, at least, showed real pleasure at the safe return of the good Keeper.  The four of them had timed their arrival with precision, even meeting up ahead of time at the coffee shop down the street.  Darien had figured it was to get their stories straight, but Alyx had nixed that idea, more than willing to take the heat for disobeying a direct, if stupid, as she had pointed out, order.

Hobbes, especially, had not wanted her to take sole responsibility, and it had taken some spirited arguing to convince her otherwise.  Darien had been more than willing to take his share of the blame -- he had helped come up with the original game plan after all -- but had been convinced otherwise as he hadn’t even been there.  He found it more than a little shocking to think that Kevin had volunteered to do something so far outside his comfort zone.  Kind of scary too, given if something had gone wrong it would have been Darien's flesh taking the brunt of the damage.  He could do without that, thank you very much, as he got beat up enough all on his own.

"Who authorized this?"  The Official waved his hand at Claire, who looked miles better for the sleep and change of clothes.

"Why didn’t you is the real question," Claire countered with.  She'd plainly had more than enough time to work up a full head of steam for having been left in the tender care of Arnaud for a week.

"Given the difficulty determining who exactly--"

Claire cut Eberts' obfuscation off quickly.  "Bollocks.  Alyx found me quickly enough once she had returned.  You could have done that immediately instead of waiting a bloody week."

There were extenuating circumstances," Eberts interjected hastily, as if in an attempt to prevent an eruption by the Official, who actually looked bored by the whole thing.

"None of which matters, does it?" Alyx questioned, voice soft, but still more than loud enough for Eberts to close his mouth with a snap.

The Official deigned to rest his baleful gaze upon her.  "No, not any more.  Should I assume you intend to take the blame for this?"

Alyx shrugged.  "I tried, but was out-voted.  You'll have to split the blame between the three of us."

The Official sighed heavily.  "Little surprise you and Fawkes--"

Darien raised his hands in surrender.  "You got the wrong Fawkes.  I had nothing to do with this."

The Official's eyes narrowed.  "You risked Kevin on this foolish rescue."  The dangerous undertone in the Official's voice made the hair on the back of Darien's neck stand up at attention.

"Doc Fawkes volunteered," Hobbes stated boldly, "and did just fine, I might add."

The Official slammed a hand onto the desktop.  "Not the point," he roared.

"So what is the point?  That we put Kevin at risk, or that Darien could have been hurt due to Kevin's lack of experience?" Alyx questioned, completely calm to all appearances.

Darien knew different, could feel the icy cold anger coming off her in frozen waves.  She'd felt off all morning, her nap not having done her as much as he'd hoped to recharge her.  He, on the other hand, felt pretty good, her little trick giving him enough of an energy boost to get through the day... maybe, as it was certainly starting as badly as they had feared.

Eberts squeaked, apparently surprised Alyx had called the Official on his supposed concerns.

The Official simply harrumphed, dismissing Alyx's comment out of hand.  Darien felt the blood drain from his face as realization set in.  It wasn’t him the ‘Fish had been concerned about, nope, just Kevin, his all important genius brother.  Alyx shifted slightly, brushing up against him enough for him to feel the wave of concern come through loud and clear, she fully understood how hard the truth would hit him and he could only be thankful there was one person who didn’t feel the same; that valued him just as much if not more than his precious brother.

“It’s over and done,” the Official finally said, “With, I can assume, no overt problems?”

Hobbes shrugged.  “Not for us anyway.  Stark’s gonna need to invest in a new computer system though.”  He sounded more than a touch smug about it, which was probably justified.  Darien looked forward to getting as many details as his partner was willing give as soon as they had five minutes alone.

The glare for daring to mention Stark wasn’t nearly as deadly as expected.  “And Arnaud?”

“Safely tucked away in the basement cell,” Darien answered.

“You brought him here?” Eberts squeaked in surprise.  That was two squeaks so far; the running bet was four or more before the Official threw them out of the office.

“Yeah.  Where else would we have taken him, Eberts?  We did capture him, should we have turned him over to the FBI or Interpol or something?” Hobbes snarked, his irritation at the whole situation beginning to show.

“No, of course not.”  The Official seemed uneasy about this revelation.

“He doesn’t know Kevin is here,” Alyx told him, making what was probably an accurate guess as to his concern.  “By the time we got to the van Darien had taken back control.”  The phrasing a sure shot at the fact that it remained Dairen’s body and had only been on loan to his brother.

The Official, however, jumped on her words.  “So he _was_ injured.”

Claire shook her head.  “No, sir.  We got out unscathed, though, truthfully I had no idea it was Kevin until after…”

“After what, exactly,” the Official pressed.

“After the Counteragent was administered,” Claire answered with a frown, looking for all the world like she’d just put her foot in it.

The Official’s look darkened and Darien suspected the shit was about to hit the fan.  “What Counteragent?  I didn’t authorize the use of any Counteragent.  Eberts,” he all but bellowed at his lackey.

“Yes, sir,” Eberts responded phone to his ear damn near instantly.  “Dr. Jennings, your presence is requested in the Official’s office.”  He listened for a moment then set the phone back in its cradle.  “He’s on his way, sir.”

Hobbes muttered, “Wasn’t like the op was authorized,” which made Darien hard-pressed not to laugh and just barely managed to keep the smile off his face.  What was the big deal anyway?  Kevin had obviously used up the spare segments getting Claire out of the building and needed a shot of Counteragent.  SOP.  Or would be if it had been a planned rescue.  Alyx usually had a small supply stashed somewhere, with the Keep’s knowledge and approval in case of emergencies, so she’d used that.  Except… except she’d been out of town and since the Counteragent did not hold well, it would have gone bad or whatever it does to make it unusable.  So, yeah, where the hell did she get her hands on Counteragent?  Had she used a Jedi mind trick on Jennings or something?

As if he’d been practicing, Jennings entered the office, looking harried and rushed.  “What do you need?” he asked brusquely and Darien was shocked when the Official did nothing to admonish the attitude the man practically oozed.

“Did you issue any Counteragent to Agent Silver or Hobbes within the last twenty-four hours?” Eberts asked, clearly playing mouthpiece for the mountain.

Jennings looked confused for a moment.  “No.  In fact, the current batch just finished so I will be able to give Agent Fawkes his shot tomorrow.  Why, does he need it sooner?”

“Nope,” Darien answered.  “Had my tank topped off last night.”  Normally he would have flashed the tattoo to prove it, but this time he tucked both hands into his back pockets, effectively hiding his wrist.

The Official leveled a steely-eyed glare at Alyx.  “So, where precisely did you acquire Counteragent?”

“The Tooth Fairy,” she answered, tone bland, then shrugged.  “Does it matter?  It’s over and done with, right?”  She met the Official’s continued glare with a bored expression.  “If there’s nothing else, right now, I’d like to get on with the interrogation of our prisoner.”  And with that she turned on her heel and left the room, acting as if nothing of great concern had just occurred.  She’d definitely drawn a line in the sand, but Darien had no idea why.

“Fawkes, thought I told you to rein her in,” the Official bellowed into the silence that follow Alyx’s exit.

Darien was in no mood to take shit from his tightwad of a boss.  “Would love to,” he said pouring on as much sarcasm as he could muster, “however, I’m only available every other day or so.  Perhaps you should be having this conversation with Kevin.”

Much to Darien’s dismay the Official brightened noticeably at that comment.  “A perfect solution.  Dr. Jennings if you would see to it Doctor Fawkes is in my office within the hour I would appreciate it.”

“Of course, sir,” Jennings instantly responded, clearly enjoying his current place in the power structure of the Agency.

“Hey, don’t I get a vote here?”  Darien complained, somehow suspecting that his wants would be the very last considered.

The Official shot him a look that warned of severe pain if he didn’t keep his mouth shut, but there was no way he’d be going down without a fight this time. 

It was Claire that came to his rescue.  She kept it short and sweet. “No.”

The Official bristled.  “You have no say in—“

“I have every say in this matter.  I am in charge of Darien and the gland’s care and well being.” She cocked her head to the side.  “Unless I am no longer his Keeper.  Have you replaced me with Dr. Jennings?”

Under his breath Hobbes said, “Way to go, Keepy.  You got him by the short hairs now.”

Based on the twitch of Claire’s lips, she’d heard every word and had to force herself to not react to them.  Darien had to wonder this for himself.  He had, perhaps stupidly, thought that with Claire back everything would return to normal… normalish anyway with his bro still doing the every other day thing.  Now, however, he was beginning to wonder.  Maybe the ‘Fish had let Claire stay kidnapped in order to prolong Kevin’s visit.  With Claire back and Arnie locked up downstairs, the need to create a removal process quickly had just been reduced to nil.  Yeah, Darien wouldn’t mind Kev being successful in his endeavor, but it was no longer needed in exchange for Claire’s safe return.  So what the fuck was going to happen now?  A quick shot to the gland to erase Kevin?  Doubtful, based on the bossman wanting Kevin back as soon as it could be arranged.  Today he was damn glad Claire was on his side.  Hopefully, she’d gain him the rest of the day to have control of his own body.

Eberts turned beet red and coughed into his hand, looking anywhere but at the three of them.

“Of course not, Doctor.  Now that you are back safe and sound you may feel free to return to your duties.  However, Dr. Jennings will continue to monitor the gland’s hosting of Kevin Fawkes.”

“With me assisting,” she insisted, fisted hands on her hips and clearly not about to accept anything but a ‘yes’ for an answer.

“Of course,” the Official agreed magnanimously.  “So, if you would please see to it Dr. Fawkes—“

“No,” Claire repeated, causing the Official to flush over to purple with barely contained frustration.  “I need to make certain Darien is in good health.  He’s been hosting his brother for a week now and this _theoretical_ protocol was never intended to be long-term.  The potential for problems increases dramatically the longer Darien plays host.”

The Official’s anger cooled at the vehemence in her voice.  “So, what would you need to do and how long do you need to do it?”

“Tests, of course.  And the rest of the day at the very least.  Since Dr. Fawkes will be the one controlling Darien’s body his next wake period, I’m certain whatever you need from him can wait until tomorrow.”  Claire was not about to back down if Darien was any judge and she would be on the receiving end of a massive hug later for backing him right now.

The Official huffed in clear discontent.  “Fine.  Please keep me apprised of the situation.”

Claire nodded.  “A full report will be on your desk tomorrow,” she assured him.  With a hasty motion of her hands she urged Darien from the room with Hobbes following along behind.  They were in the stairwell heading down before any of them risked speaking. 

“Damn.  Good to know which one of the Fawkes brothers is more important to the Fat Man,” Darien grouched, not really surprised by this development, more the blatant revelation of it by his boss.  Kevin had always been deemed the more worthy of the two brothers.  Darien didn’t like it, but had learned to live with it.  He had just kind of hoped things had changed given Kevin was dead and all, but obviously not.  Not for the Official anyway.

“Darien, that’s not true.  Without you this would not have been possible, you would do well to remember that.”  Claire set a hand on his arm as she spoke, truly sounding sympathetic to his situation.

“Yeah, Fawkes,” Hobbes agreed with a nod.  “We ain’t needed your bro before now, and we’ll do just fine without him.  This Agency ain’t nothing without you.”

Darien, got that Bobby was trying to bolster up his suddenly waning confidence, but it wasn’t helping all that much.  “ ‘Cept the boss don’t really need me no more.”

“Darien, what do you mean?”  Claire had paused on the landing one level up from the Keep, a look of concern on her pretty features.

“He has Alyx.  And with me offline hosting Kev he can justify not sending her out, or, far more likely, charging even more since I’m not available to work.”  He tipped his head down shaking it.  “Ain’t no way he’s gonna let Kevin leave till he has in his greedy little hands what he wants from ‘im.  And I doubt it’s something as simple as a removal technique.”

Claire and Bobby glanced at each other, neither certain what to say as, sadly, his observations were most certainly quite accurate.  “Darien, try not to worry about that right now.  I really do need to run some tests… and talk to Alyx, as I’m certain she’s been keeping a close eye on you since her return.  If there is the slightest hint of a problem I will terminate the protocol immediately.  I promise you that.  It is not worth risking your health just to suit the Official’s whims.”

“You mean the gland’s health, Keep?”  The fact that Bobby asked the question instead of Darien seemed to shock her.

“On this occasion, no.  That said if the gland were to begin to malfunction in any way it would cause Darien serious harm, so, yes, I will also make every effort to ascertain that the gland is also healthy.”  She looked up at Darien, eyes pleading.  “Understand?”

Darien nodded.  “Yeah, Keepy.”  He really did, knowing very well that if the gland were to have issues he would as well.  A nasty case of the flu not nearly long enough ago had proved that to be the case.  Speaking of which… “I wonder how Arnie is enjoying his chat with Alyx?”

Hobbes urged them back into motion.  “Enjoy?  Doubtful.  Squirming in severe pain is far more likely if Alyx is having her way.”

“All he deserves,” Claire muttered as she picked up forward motion and wanting to get to the Keep and get to work.  To work poking and prodding him, which he really didn’t want to endure, but at the same time knew the current situation necessitated it.

“Keep, he’s lucky he’s still alive,” Darien stated, his anger and hatred of the man not having faded in the least even after having been granted some measure of vengeance.  Having Kevin back, if only peripherally, brought up that deep-seated need for visiting the pain he and Kevin had endured upon Arnaud’s tender flesh.  Part of him still wanting to feel his hands about the man’s throat squeezing tightly until he breathed his last right in front of his eyes.  Alyx probably wouldn’t even stop him, might even enjoy watching and feeling the emotions that would surely spill over onto her with some measure of pleasure.  However, somehow along the months he’d changed, the need while still there, had become one he’d never truly act upon, which is why Alyx’s mind game had satisfied him at the time.  Darien had never expected to “see” Kevin again or have all that pain and anguish be dragged up out of the deep, dark pit in his mind that he’d buried it in.

Hobbes shrugged.  “I didn’t see nothing,” he stated, the meaning easily divined: if Arnie were to suddenly catch a bad case of death he wouldn’t rat out his partner.

Darien ground his teeth in frustration.  “Thanks man, but he has something I want… and he knows it.”

“And what is that, Darien?” Claire asked as she opened the Keep door and waved for them to enter. 

“The gene sequence for the madness,” Darien told her as he entered and head over towards the exam chair.

Bobby whistled.  “Has you over a barrel doesn’t he?”

“Unless the Keep has figured it out,” he glanced over at her but she shook her head, “he certainly does.”

“Well, as he’s not likely to give over that piece of information without a fight, I will continue to try and find the sequence for myself, if that’s all right with you?” Claire wandered about the Keep, looking everything over with a gimlet eye.

“Problem, Keepy?” Hobbes questioned, following her every move.

She shook her head.  “I don’t believe so.  Everything appears to be the same.  I’ll know more then I go through my files.”  She picked up a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope and gestured for Darien to sit on the chair.  “Where has Jennings been working?”

“Here, as far as we know,” Hobbes answered.  “Not like we’ve been keeping tabs on him.  Avoiding him as much as we can, really?”

Claire tipped her head to the side.  “Why?”

Darien shrugged.  “We don’t trust him, is all.  Alyx most of all.”

Claire wrapped the cuff about Darien’s biceps and began to quickly pump the bulb.  “I’m afraid I still don’t understand.  I’m the one who has been keeping him up to speed on aspects of the QS-300 project in the event I am unable to fulfill my duties.”

Darien shivered.  “Don’t say shit like that, Claire.  There isn’t anyone else I’d trust with this.”

“Not even the kid?” Hobbes asked, feigning innocence better than usual.

Darien sighed.  “Yeah, I trust her too, but Claire is the Keeper, not Alyx.  She’s got a ton of other shit on her plate and it ain’t likely the boss would pull her off ops to run the Keep.”

Hobbes snorted.  “Ain’t that the truth.”

Claire released the air and waved Darien to silence as she listened to his heart and lungs.  “What about Kevin?”

“What about him?” Darien asked, as Claire moved away and began to gather the necessary items to draw blood from him.  He wondered idly if she had planned to take a gland sample as well, and hoped not.  That particular needle hurt and always left him with a nasty headache for hours afterwards.  “He’s been trying to figure out the whole madness thing and it’s taken him days just to reconstruct his original data.”

“Then the kid showed up and tipped his world-view on its axis,” Hobbes added as he leaned against the stanchion.  “She’s been helping him where she can, but her focus was getting you back.”

“He shouldn’t have needed to reconstruct any data except his original work and we had already rebuilt the majority of it,” Claire stated as she placed the cotton ball in the crook of Darien’s elbow.

“Uh, he didn’t have access to your files until after Alyx got back.” Dairen ducked his head, not certain whether or not Claire would be upset at what he told her next.  “Eberts couldn’t even get past the encryption, so Alyx went in and made copies of what he needed.”

Claire seemed to get that he expected her to angry and smiled brilliantly to ease his concern.  “And that would be why I asked her to upgrade the security.  It still backs up automatically, but requires additional passwords to access.”  She set the test tubes down.  “Can I hope Jennings has not been granted access?”

“According to him, no, but he could be lying,” Hobbes told her.  “Kid didn’t like him working in here, but wasn’t given a vote on the matter.”

“And where has Kevin been working?”

“Lab three, off a laptop,” Darien answered, sliding off the chair.  “And at my apartment.  I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been using the mainframe at all.  Just importing the data on jump drives and such.”

Hobbes’ eyebrows slid upwards.  “When did you learn to speak geek?”

Darien chuckled.  “Learned it from Alyx.  She is fully intending to bring me into the Twenty-first century no matter how hard I kick and scream.”  Not that he minded all that much.  After her nifty all-purpose crack pad that she’d made he’d quickly glommed onto the value of tech – good tech anyway – and Alyx never went for anything but the best… even if she had to create it herself.

“Good,” Claire stated, returning to his side with a clipboard and a pen. “Now, how long have you been hosting Kevin?”

Darien sighed, but knew he would submit to the round of Twenty Questions she had planned if it would keep him in one piece and sane for a while longer.

“You two good for now?”  Hobbes looked from one to another.

“Uh, yeah, why?”  Darien figured he looked as confused as he felt.  “Not the first time for either of us.”

Hobbes snorted.  “ ‘Cause I thought I’d go make sure the kid hadn’t damaged the Phone too badly.”

Claire smiled.  “Good idea, Bobby.  I will have a few questions of my own for him.  Later, though.  I want to have a look at his computer first.”

“Good plan.  Fawkes, join us when the Keep turns you loose.  I’m sure Arnie will be thrilled to see you’” Hobbes said with an evil little grin turning up the corners of his mouth.

“I’m sure he will too,” Darien agreed with a dark tone.  He really didn’t like the little shit at all.  He watched Hobbes leave then turned back to Claire.  “How bad?”

Claire blinks at him.  “How bad is what?”

“Me.  This.” He waved at himself, fully expecting the worst even though things seemed to have been going just fine for the last week or so.

She sighed and set aside the clipboard.  “I won’t know until I finish the blood tests, so stop worrying until then.  I’m certain Alyx would have told me if she had any worries.”

“Ah, the joys of having another Keeper,” he groused, though most days he didn’t feel that way and knew Alyx only told Claire anything to keep him hale and healthy.  On more than one occasion she’d kept her mouth shut at his request, which had usually been a bad move, but should have proven where her loyalties lay after all this time.

Claire smacked him on the arm.  “I should make you apologize to her for that comment.  She cares about _you_ and probably prefers you alive, though god knows why when you’re behaving like a brat.”  She strode away, the anger in her shoulders only partially feigned if he were any judge.

“Claire, don’t be mad.  This situation is way too weird to begin with and… and it’s just going to get weirder.”

“Now, that I can agree with.”  She turned around to face him.  “Is it really Kevin?” she asked almost shyly.

Darien shrugged.  “Far as I know.  Aside from passing notes in study hall I haven’t exactly talked to him.  Hobbes never met Kev when he was alive, and Alyx can’t sense him.  So, you’ll have to judge for yourself, I guess.” 

“I may be able to help with that,” she said softly and with what seemed to be great reluctance. 

Oh, this had to be good.  “And exactly how would you do that.”

She sighed.  “Because I knew Kevin.”

Darien went dead still, his mind going completely blank for a long moment as he processed that one short statement.  Claire knew Kevin.  _Claire_ knew Kevin.  _Claire_ knew _Kevin_.  He swallowed down the instant anger that arose as the meaning of her words registered.  If Claire had known Kevin then she had known about Darien… long before that first abrupt meeting in the Keep that ended with a tranq dart sticking out of his chest.

“How?” he choked out, swallowing down the vitriolic rant that wanted to escape.

Claire, being the smart lady that she was caught on to the fact that he was less than happy with this news.  “Darien, it was years ago, over a decade in fact.  We went to grad school together.  I had not spoken to him since then.”

“But you knew me.”

She shook her head.  “No, I knew _of_ you only.  I only knew what Kevin had told me, and he spoke of you very little during the year we were… acquainted.”

Darien flung himself up from the chair, hand raking through his hair as he paced the room.  “You never intended to tell me, did you?”

She shrugged.  “It had no bearing on the job at hand.”

“No bearing—“

She cut him off.  “Darien, I had no idea who the QS-9300 subject was until after I had signed on the dotted line.  Did I take the job because I knew Kevin?  Partially, yes.  You know of my other reasons.”

Obviously referring to Gloria, the project the Official offered to fund in full if Claire came onto the Quicksilver project as Keeper.

“Trust me when I say how very surprised I was to learn Kevin had implanted the Quicksilver gland into his own brother.”  She took a couple cautious steps forward. 

“And you’re telling me what Kevin told you didn’t color your perception of me at all?  I find that hard to believe.”

She shook her head.  “Of course it did, more so that that file the Official had portraying you as little more than a reprobate.  Kevin made certain I was aware of how intelligent you were; he was simply disappointed in your lack of direction.  He thought you had the potential to be so much more than a common thief.”

Darien blinked.  _What?_   “You’re shitting me.”

Claire chuckled.  “No, I’m not.  Why do you think I appealed to your intelligence at our first… make that second meeting?”

Huh.  He’d never thought of it that way before.  Yeah, she could have been all heavy handed and threatening, especially with his use of Quicksilver hitting that danger zone, but had instead challenged him into proving himself better than a common thief and borderline madman and take the work for Counteragent deal.  “Uh… I’m not sure if I should still be angry,” he admitted.

“How about we go with _not_ for the time being?” she said with a smile.  “Darien, Kevin is dead and while it will be nice to talk to him, it won’t be _him_.”  She shook her head.  “If his being here can help you, I will gladly take advantage of it, but I have no intention of allowing him to stay any longer than necessary.”

Darien nodded, knowing she told the truth now.  Tomorrow might be a different story entirely.  “Want to look over his stuff?  I’m betting his laptop is still in the lab since he didn’t go home last night.”

Claire brightened noticeably at that.  “Yes.  I would like to see how far along he’s gotten on a removal technique.”

Leading the way, they left the Keep and walked down empty halls towards lab three.  “Not far, last I spoke to Alyx.  He apparently had a plan for removing the original gland, but has been having issues adapting it for the current version.  Having to break the addictions and… some other stuff.  Alyx has the details.”

“Excellent.  I’ll speak with her later, after she’s done with Arnaud.”  She opened the door to Lab Three.  “I’ll have the test results in a couple of hours and let you know, all right?”

“Works.  Dinner?”

“Yes, we’ll make a foursome out of it.  I don’t imagine you’ll want to be up very late tonight.”

Darien sighed, the effects of energy boost were still holding for now, but suspected his Keeper was correct. He’d be heading to bed early and waking up in a couple of days.  “And we’ll plan how best to deal with this mess.”

“Everything will be fine, Darien,” she assured him with a gently hand on his arm.  “Now go play with your partners, I’ll talk to you this afternoon.”

 

 

 

The two guards standing down the hall from the cell looked as if there were ready to bolt at a moments notice when Darien turned the final corner.  He gave them a quick nod. “Any blood yet?” 

The hulking one on the right shrugged.  “Not that we’ve seen.”

Darien snorted.  “Go get a coffee or something.  I’ll see if I can talk her down before you have a mess to clean up.”

Both men look relieved to be sent out of the line of fire, if only for a few precious minutes.  “We’ll be back in fifteen.”

Darien watched them leave, making certain they had turned the corner and were out of sight before walking into the room.  Hobbes leaned back against the wall with a look of concern on his face.  Alyx was right up on the bars, hands tapping on the horizontal metal surface in between, irritation written on her features.

“Ah, so now you’ve come to help,” Arnaud snarked from the lone chair in the cell.  He still looked like crap.  A tray of uneaten food on the table, his entire demeanor his usual overbearing smarter-than-everyone else… mostly.  His current unkempt appearance preventing his usual sneering attitude from seeming genuine.

 “Define help?  If you mean pulling out a few fingernails of my own, then yeah.” Darien turned to Hobbes.  “He being an ass, as usual?”

Hobbes crossed his arms over his chest.  “You know it.”

Arnaud frowned, almost as if he expected Darien to be on his side.  “I have simply made a few reasonable requests—“

“And offered nothing in return for them,” Hobbes pointed out.

Darien’s eyebrows bounced upwards.  “And what do you consider reasonable?”

“A change of clothes. A barber to cut my hair.  Real food and not this slop.  You may prefer to eat like a refugee, but I do not intend to… ever.”  He spread his arms as if in total submission, but his tone of voice told a different story.  He remained certain he had the upper hand, and Darien couldn’t argue the point, not really.  He wanted the gland data, all of it, because while Alyx had managed to steal quite a bit when she’d fled Cabo, it hadn’t been enough.

“We could trade down for quality prison food if you prefer,” Alyx offered in a saccharine sweet voice that boded ill for Arnaud’s life expectancy.

“Is what I’m asking so terribly difficult?” Arnaud looked even more smug than usual.

“Looks that way,” Darien stated, tone bland.  He settled next to Alyx and almost wished he hadn’t.  She wasn’t playing stubborn for fun; she was seriously ticked off, which made him wonder what he’d missed while playing with the Keep.  “You might want to stop pissing off Alyx, ‘cause she’ll happily make your stay here a miserable one.”

Hobbes grunted.  “She’ll have help.”

“Should I perhaps request an attorney?”

Alyx laughed though it was more than a touch harsh.  “Go for it.  You better yell _really_ loud.  Doubt the nearest one will hear you too well through twenty feet of earth.”

Arnaud frowned.  “I do have rights…”

“Rights?” Darien echoed in indignation.  “You really want to go there?”

“Why not?  Wasn’t all that long ago she,” Arnaud pointed at Alyx, “was a full participant in my endeavors, as I’m quite sure you recall.”

Hobbes stepped in before Dairen could verbally go off on the slimy little shit.  “Oh, we remember.  You had to scramble her psyche in order to keep her under control.”

Arnaud shrugged.  “My dear Alyx still enjoyed herself most thoroughly, didn’t you?”

Alyx sniffed.  “I’ve had better.”

“I would highly suggest you shut your trap, De Fohn, before I shut it for you,” Hobbes snarled.

Arnaud smiled in glee.  “How interesting that _you_ come to her defense and not Fawkes.  Trouble in paradise, perchance?”

Alyx cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing dangerously.  “Darien doesn’t need to protect me, he’s well aware that I can take care of myself.”  The door to the cell swung open on it’s own and she shifted to step through it.  “How’s Huisclos, Arnie?”

“Bitch,” Arnaud spat, one hand going to his forehead, pain written on his face.  “You want anything from me you’ll also need to remove this… this torture you’ve implanted.”

She slid forward to stand right before him.  “Not a chance in hell.  Huisclos still in solitary or did you get him back into the general population?’

Arnaud actually screamed and collapsed onto the hard concrete floor much to Darien’s dismay and pleasure.  Come on, this was a lovely slice of vengeance served good and cold and he refused to not revel in it, if only far a few moments.  The man curled up into a fetal position with his hands practically clawing at his head to get at the pain she inflicted with the casual mention of his brother.  However, it would not get them what they wanted, which was information and he’d be unable to give it if he was a drooling mess on the floor.

“Alyx, enough for now,” Darien said softly, but she ignored him utterly.

She leaned down as if to whisper in Arnie’s ear.  “You love your brother, don’t you?  I can make it so much easier for him.  A few calls and he’ll be in a minimum-security prison with all the perks possible.  Even get you in to see him.  You just need to give me what I want.”

Arnaud uncurled slightly to look up at her, eyes red-rimmed.  “Non. Non.  Non.”

She gently ran her hands across the back of his head.  “The pain will end, you just have to stop fighting me.”

He snarled and shoved her hand away.  “You think I can’t handle the pain?  That I haven’t lived with it for months now?  You will have to do better than that.”

Alyx straightened.  “Fine with me.”  In an instant Arnaud jerked up from the floor and found himself pinned to the wall spread eagle.  A spark flickered across the fingers of her right hand.  “Let’s try this instead.”  The spark resolved itself into a ball of energy that flew from her to land on Arnaud’s chest. 

This time his screams were primal and quickly followed by the scent of burning clothes… and flesh.

Both Darien and Bobby leapt to restrain her.  Darien actually getting between her and Arnaud while Bobby grabbed her about the shoulders to physically pull her away.

“Kid, stop it,” Bobby shouted, trying to get her to focus her attention on him.  Not that it made a difference in the end; she could continue this torture from down the hall, her presence completely unnecessary to the task at hand.  Darien could feel the energy sparking behind him and he looked down at an Alyx he didn’t recognize.  Something inside her had cracked and he feared there’d be no repairing the damage this time.

Instead of moving forward, he backed up, making every effort to prepare himself for the pain he knew would be coming and just about the time he knew he had backed into the energy ball the crackling… and screaming cut off.  The glare she aimed at him hurt more in some ways than the burning ball of energy would have.  Then she blinked and sagged in Bobby’s hold.

“Put him down,” Darien ordered, “gently.”

She did as told, Darien turning about to support Arnaud as the man’s legs buckled, unable to remain upright while in so much pain.  “Bobby, get her out of here.”

Alyx growled inarticulately, and fought, albeit not very hard, against Bobby’s hold.  “You’ve got to be kidding me.  He’ll talk.  Hell, he’ll scream what we want to know.” She smiled, her head cocking to the side in her confidence.  “Just give me few more minutes with him,” she said sweetly as she took a single step forward, easily escaping Bobby’s grip on her.

Darien surged to his feet.  “No.  You are better than this.”

She shook her head and laughed.  “You can believe that all you want, but deep down we both know that isn’t true.”  With a toss of her head she turned about and stalked away, the doors flinging themselves open before her.

“Hobbes…”

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Bobby said with a nod and then quickly left the room.

Arnaud chuckled darkly from his prone position on the bed.  “I have the feeling my presence is having a deleterious affect on our girl.”

“Ya think?” Darien chimed in.  “You have no idea how much control it takes for her to keep those personas caged and you, like a fucking idiot, just had to see just how far you could push her.”  He raked his hands through his hair, knowing he would be spending the evening with a guilt-ridden Alyx, provided she’d come back down from this bout of evil cousin id.  “You do remember she could kill you with her mind, right?”

“I may have forgotten precisely how powerful she is,” Arnaud admitted, as he sat up to survey the damage the ball lightning had caused him.  “I don’t recall her being quite so angry.”

“Don’t kidnap her friends,” Darien said with a shrug.  “You gonna live?”

“I believe so, but it looks like bandages will be necessary,” Arnaud stated morosely.  “And a change of clothes.”

“I’ll see if I can find someone willing to patch you up.”

“What about your Keeper, does she not play the part of doctor for the Agency?”

“Yep, she does.  However, you’re the one who held her hostage for the last week.  Are you certain you want her looking at your boo-boo?”  Darien failed to hide the evil grin that spread across his face.  Claire would have a field day taking care of Arnaud’s wounds.  He could see large amounts of iodine and alcohol coming into play before any gauze made an appearance. And painkillers would utterly fail to be offered to ease the discomfort.

“Merde.  I fear I may have burned one bridge too many this time.”  Arnie actually sounded discouraged, which surprised Darien.  Not that he had a lot of sympathy for the little shit, but still.  He’d gone from having the upper hand to second-degree burns over his chest.

“Cooperation, even a little, might go a long way,” Darien suggested.  No, he really didn’t want to bargain with the man, but getting him to cooperate would be the quickest way to getting the info they wanted.  Info that might just get the gland out of his skull before it turned him into a permanently raving invisible lunatic.  He could swallow his pride a bit in order to accomplish that.

“What do you have in mind, Fawkes?”

“I’ll get you clothes, I’m sure you have a safe house or two stocked with the basics that you are willing sacrifice the location of.  Arrange for an electric razor and clippers and see about getting you one good meal a day.”

“Define good.  I have no interest in anything that comes in a paper wrapper.”  The disgust on Arnaud’s face was priceless, and Darien knew at least one meal would have to be from the Golden Arches, or better yet, Jack in the Box just to tick his nemesis off.

“Trust me, these are places Alyx likes.  Should be more than hoity-toity enough for you.”

Arnaud huffed.  “Fine.  And what do I have to do in return?”

“Oh, nothing much, just give me the password for that computer of yours.”

Arnaud laughed.  “You mean your precious girlfriend hasn’t been able to hack in?”

“Far as I know she hasn’t even looked at it yet.  Just thought I might make it a smidge easier for her is all.”  Truthfully Darien wasn’t certain where the computer was.  He recalled seeing it in the Keep last night, but had no idea where it had ended up. He just kind of assumed Alyx or the Keep had locked it up to poke at later.  He knew Alyx would have a go at it eventually, he figured Arnie would have some serious security on it and figured what the hell. If he could get Arnaud to give up this, it would just be a matter of persuasion, or possibly terror, to get him to give up the tidbits they wanted from him.

Arnaud frowned.  “You do realize that password will get you into none of the files.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Darien said, pacing away form the injured man.  “You want to get, you gots to give.”

“You don’t even know if the information you want is on that machine… and you don’t care, because whatever you do find you will use somehow.”  He nodded slowly.  “I need something else.”

Darien rolled his eyes.  “What?”

“She stays away from me,” Arnaud hissed.

Darien shook his head.  “I’ll make no promises about that.  You can take it up with the Official if you like, but considering you destroyed his pet project I don’t know that he’ll give a flying fuck.”  So far beyond true it was mindboggling.  The Official probably wouldn’t have cared if Alyx had killed Arnaud, even if it did leave an exceedingly large number of questions unanswered.  He’d get over it and be satisfied with having a seriously nasty terrorist dealt with permanently.

Arnaud’s response was to swear in French under his breath for several minutes.  “Fine.  Now get me a doctor, this hurts.”

Darien scrounged up a pen and piece of paper from his pockets. "Write down that info and I'll be on my merry way." 

Arnaud bitched and moaned, but after a few minutes did as asked.  Darien checked the slip of paper before tucking it safely into his pants pocket.  "The pen," he said holding out his hand for it.  Arnaud handed it over with a sour look on his face, but without any argument.  Darien then got to his feet and walked through the cell door, making certain it had locked behind him.  He poked his head out into the hall to see the two agents had returned, each with a cup of coffee in hand.  "Keep an eye on him, I'll be sending a doc to patch him up in a few."

"Agent Silver lose her temper?" the one on the left asked.

Darien shrugged.  "He's still alive, so it's debatable."

That earned him laughs from both men.  "We'll keep him alive until the doc gets here," the one agent assured Darien then took a sip from his latte.

Darien thanked them, then went looking for Bobby, Alyx and Claire not certain where all of them might have ended up.  He hoped Bobby had kept Alyx from running, which would be what she'd want to do, especially if she'd come back down.  Darien worried that she might not have, and that she would do something worse than give Arnie a taste of her uber taser creation.  Or worse yet, take it out on all of them.  If her personas -- any of the individual ones, or that amalgam personality she'd ended up with -- took over it would be bad for all of them.  Alyx was dangerous.  Those personas were deadly and lacked that sense of right and wrong that she valued so highly.  This could turn out to be an even bigger mess than that created when Claire had gone missing.

Lab Three was empty, so Darien headed to the next logical place: the Keep.  There he found his three friends, though the atmosphere in the room felt anything but friendly.  Ignoring the words being thrown about by all three of them, he went right to Alyx cupped her face with both his hands and rested his forehead on hers.  Her harsh commentary cut off instantly and, though her hands came up to grasp his wrists almost painfully, she didn't fight him or push him away.  Instead, she sucked in a huge breath and released it raggedly.

"Easy, baby, just focus on me for now."

"Sorry, D," she said softly, just barely loud enough for him to hear.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Claire demanded, sounding confused.

"I'd like to know that myself," Hobbes added, not happy with the situation at all.

Darien wanted to answer their questions, but didn’t want to give the game away or make Alyx any more upset than she already was.  He could feel she was just barely holding on right now, he didn’t want to be the one to push her over the edge.  "Alyx..."

"It's okay, Dare.  Better that they understand."

"Understand what, precisely?" Claire demanded.

Darien turned about to face his irritated Keeper, one had slipping down in grasp Alyx's tightly in his own, the contact needed at the moment for her to remain on an even keel.  "Alyx is having some persona issues thanks to Arnaud," he stated and waited for the explosion.

"Why do I suspect these persona issues are not a new problem?" Claire looked as pissed off as he thought she would be when this issue came to light.

" 'Cause they're not," Hobbes answered much to Darien's surprise.  "Kid is most herself when around Fawkes."  He shrugged.  "Kevin being here is screwing her up as much as De Ferhn.  Least the Swiss shit doesn’t live in the back of her head the way Fawkes does; probably had less of an impact."

"Alyx?" Claire queried as she slowly approached the couple, as if concerned Alyx would bolt.

Alyx sighed heavily.  "I'm having issues staying... me, is all."

"Which is why you've been so cranky," Hobbes stated with a nod.  "Today the first day you've flipped?"

Alyx nodded.  "I think I'll stay away from Arnaud as much as possible."

"Good plan," Darien agreed.  "Need you to crack his computer.  Speaking of which, I have the password to the laptop and he's kind of in need of a doctor.  Can one of your techs go patch him up?"

Claire raised a single eyebrow.  "And why not me?"

" 'Cause I implied that you might want to get a little vengeance via rubbing alcohol and iodine," Darien explained not sure if she'd be angry or amused.

Amused won.  "Sadly, I'd probably do just that."  She pondered for a moment.  "Kristof is here today, he can handle it just as well as I."  She gave Alyx the once over.  "I think we need to talk."

Alyx sighed heavily.  "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really.  Darien can stay if you wish," Claire offered, as if realizing things might not go a well without his presence.

"Fine with me," Darien agreed.  "Want to run an errand, Hobbesy, while we shrink Alyx's head?"

Hobbes chuckled.  "For the record that sounded so wrong.  What kind of errand?"

"Picking up some stuff for Arnie.  He gave so he gets."  Darien pulled out the piece of paper, wrote down the address info on a sheet of notepaper from one of Claire's desks along with the list of items they'd compromised on.  Darien would pick up the dinner later... or have it delivered if it looked like they would be stuck in the Keep all day.

Hobbes looked over the list and the address, the frown turning into a smile.  "He gave up a safe house for clean underwear?"

"Yep, he did.  Though I have a feeling Alyx's persuasion had more to do with it than anything I said."

"Electroshock therapy can be quite effective," Alyx stated, a gleam in her eye.  This wasn't one of her alternate personalities, just plain old Alyx who knew the value of scaring a perp into talking with a few well-place volts of electricity.

Hobbes shook his head.  "A bit overkill, but, yeah, effective."  He waved the paper.  "I'll get on this and meet back here in few hours.  See if I can get a couple agents to tag along just in case there's some goodies at this hidey hole of his."

"Good plan, we'll see you later."

"Let me call Kristof and get Arnaud taken care of and then we are going to have a talk," Claire said, wagging a finger of admonishment at Alyx.

"Yes, mother," Alyx snarked back, then looked up at Darien.  "And this week has now officially gotten weird even by my standards."

Darien chuckled ruefully.  "We'll get through this.  We always do, somehow."

"I know; I'd like to end up being me at the end of it, is all."

"And who are you?" Darien asked, curious as to her answer.

Sadly, she didn’t have one for him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

The red digital numbers on clock on the nightstand to the right of the bed read seven-oh-three, which remained consistent with every other time he'd woken up the past week.  He lay there staring at the numbers in confusion until the three had morphed into a seven, his brain slowly catching up with his waking body.  He reached for his glasses only to not see them anywhere nearby, though the fact he could see more than three feet beyond his face was surprising.  Had he gotten contacts and forgotten about them… and forgotten to take them out?  He rubbed his face in both hands… hands that looked and felt wrong.

Damn it, what the fuck was going on?

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, trying to remember what he’d been doing last.  Memories of his day at Perseus swirled about for long minutes before new images intruded.  Ones of him dressed like a cat-burglar, looking at his reflection in the mirror, an image that began as himself and then morphed into Darien.

Darien.  Shit.  He was in Darien’s body, in his bed, in his apartment.  The last week came rushing back and he took a moment to figure out why the memories hadn’t been there initially, reviewing the previous night, however long ago it might actually have been, he recalled rescuing Claire and then… then his first experience with Quicksilver Madness.  Not that there was anything pleasant to remember of the experience.  Then receiving a shot of Counteragent to combat the effects of the overdose of toxin, and then… then nothing until waking up this morning.

Shifting to sit up he reached for the cell phone both he and Darien had been using to check the date.  Two days had gone by, well one actually as it had been well after midnight when they’d made their rescue attempt.  He hoped Alyx had gotten out all right.  So Darien had most likely had a turn steering the ship.  Interesting to note that unconsciousness by Counteragent had the same effect as sleeping.  Kevin wondered idly if being knocked unconscious would also cause them to switch.  Not a theory he really wanted to test, but could be useful in the right situation.  He glanced about the room, noting right off the bat that his laptop was nowhere to be seen, which meant it was hopefully still at the Agency in Lab Three.  Shit, he needed to get to work.  So much to do and so little available time to do it in, but with Claire back he stood a much better chance to actually accomplish something of value.

The sooner he got to the office the better, so he climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom to get his day started.

Less than thirty minutes later he pocketed the cell phone, planning to pick up some food on the way in since Darien clearly had not bothered to go shopping while he’d been running the show.  He grabbed the keys off the counter when he noticed the note taped to the front of the Zippy Cola fridge.  He read it twice, not overly surprised his brother had remembered their private language from when they were kids.  The response, however, wasn’t really what he’d been expecting.  Just a simple “I think so,” which both did and didn’t answer the question he had posed.  He would need to remember to record a video for his brother before he gave up his turn in control of the body.  He really needed to understand how his brother felt about his life here.  Did he want to stay at the Agency?  Did he want the gland, or just the genes producing the madness out?  Did he forgive his older brother for getting him mixed up in this crazy mess?

There would be time to ponder his role in his brother’s abrupt change in life later, right now he needed to get to the Agency and talk to… everyone.  He had questions for Claire, for Alyx, for the Official, and most especially for Arnaud.  He planned on having a long and detailed conversation about how the toxin producing genes had been grafted onto the gland and exactly where they could be found.  Arnaud might not want to help, but if he wanted his own defective gland out he would have little choice.  No method Kevin had come up with yet allowed for the safe removal of the gland so long as it produced the toxin. 

 

…

 

He drove through the streets of San Diego with only half his mind on the task at hand, visions of Quicksilver danced in his head as he debated the best way to isolate the gene sequence that created the madness.  Yes, it was secreted with the Quicksilver, but Claire had determined that it was separate from it.  Perhaps her conclusion had been incorrect.  His own notes stated it was the Quicksilver itself that contained the toxic component.  Granted, based on other data he might very well have been relying on Arnaud’s expertise and he could have most certainly been lying.  He needed to do a detailed chromosomal comparison between the original and the modified version, which should reveal the differing gene sequence… if that had been the only alteration made.  It would be worth a try anyway, and might at the very least give them a smaller pool of gene sequences to deal with.  Hell, he could do a three-way comparison and add Alyx’s Quicksilver to the mix; hers would be missing the base sample used in the gland, but would most likely be identical in other features.

Of course, if he could simply persuade Arnaud to give up the information it would be much simpler.  A gene therapy procedure or two and the gland would be back to its original form, with… shit, with the potential of causing the permanent invisibility issue.  Darien’s gland worked correctly, he couldn’t risk changing that, which meant… Which meant doing a full genetic comparison of all facets right down to the mitochondrial DNA level to make certain the anomaly that caused Cole’s permanent invisibility could not reoccur.

He pulled into the tiny parking area behind the Agency building and shut off the engine.  According to the official file, Arnaud had been the one to choose the revised version of the Beta reagent, with Kevin’s approval of course.  Simulations had most certainly proved the efficacy of the solution, but he had clearly given Arnaud too much control, his friendship with the man causing him to make stupid mistakes and leading to the situation at hand.  So, why would he trust any information the man gave them?  He shouldn’t that was for certain.

Kevin sighed, starting to realize exactly how complicated things had become.

Getting out of the car, he wondered where to begin.  Talk to Claire first, make certain she was all right and figure out where to go from there.  It was always possible that in the hours he hadn’t been here that Arnaud had magnanimously given them everything they needed to solve his, and therefore Darien’s, problems, though Kevin seriously doubted that.  Everything he’d learned about the man since waking up in his brother’s body led him to believe the man did _nothing_ without a purpose.  That purpose being one that served his needs only and to hell with the rest of the universe.  He knew the man was arrogant, he had just never realized how much.  Of course, Kevin had been totally snowed by the man, his friendship a thin façade to cover his grand plans and evil schemes.  He would make every effort to prevent that from happening a second time.

As he headed towards the lower levels and the Keep, fully expecting to find Claire there, he was intercepted by a harried-looking Dr. Jennings.

“Dr. Fawkes, I need you to come with me.”

“Uh, why?” After talking to Alyx and Hobbes, Kevin trusted this man about as far as he could throw him, which he doubted would be very far at all even given Darien’s far more muscled physique.

“You are overdue for a shot of inhibitor,” Jennings explained, grasping Kevin by the upper arm and practically dragging him down the hallway.

With surprisingly little effort Kevin freed himself from the man’s hold.  “A few hours won’t make that much of a difference.  I’ve studied how the inhibitor works, unless the levels have dropped to almost nothing such urgency isn’t only unnecessary, but completely unneeded.”

Jennings huffed.  “And when exactly have you checked your levels?”  He preempted any chance of a response.  “You haven’t, and no one has been doing so for you… I mean for Agent Fawkes.  I can assure you, waiting any longer will cause the madness to occur far sooner than anyone prefers.”

Kevin huffed in irritation.  “And I’m certain Claire can handle this perfectly well – just as she has done so for Darien.”

Jennings shook his head.  “Dr. Keeply has not yet arrived and the Official has requested that I deal with the matter in an expedient fashion.  If you would like to take this up with him you are welcome to.”

Kevin had to resist a laugh at the nom de plume Claire was currently working under.  It wasn’t even remotely original though easy enough to remember, he supposed.  Jennings stood there tapping his foot in clear impatience and Kevin decided that arguing with him over the matter would waste far more time than it was worth should he win.  “Fine.  Lets get this done as I have quite a bit of work to do while I’m here.”

Jennings seemed far too pleased at Kevin’s acquiescence, but he had no idea why.  At a fast pace they walked to the Keep – Claire nowhere in sight, much to Kevin’s dismay as he would use any excuse to not allow Jennings to stick him with anything no matter how urgently needed – and was waved to sit on the exam chair and roll up his shirt sleeve.  The syringe had already been prepared – how very convenient – and after a quick swipe of rubbing alcohol on the muscle of his upper arm the contents were injected.

“All done,” Jennings said, moving swiftly to clean up the evidence.  “I will let the Official know so you can get back to work.”

Kevin nodded, wondering what all this had really been about.  He slid off the chair, returning his sleeve to its proper position once certain the bleeding had stopped from the tiny puncture, and headed for the door.  “I’ll be in Lab Three if anyone needs me.”

“Of course, Dr. Fawkes.  Good luck with your research.”  Jennings seemed far more pleasant now that the deed had been done and that… that made Kevin suspicious.  Obviously hanging out with Hobbes and Alyx had made him more than a touch paranoid, which shouldn’t be surprising he supposed, but could also get in the way of working relationships.  No need to alienate Jennings, he might just need his help at some point in the future and he wanted the man cooperative and not antagonistic.

Ah, the delicate maneuvers needed for this business.  He hated it. He just wanted to do his work and better the world, not play childish games of one-upmanship.  That’s what the Official was for, and yet he found himself mired in the same problems that had plagued his time with the SWRB.

With only the slightest feeling of concern he left the Keep for what had become his workspace while here.  His computer lay on the desk where he had left it, seemingly undisturbed since he’d last been in the room.  He suspected it hadn’t been though; certain Claire would have wanted to look over his work and Alyx would have been able to easily access the files since it had been her who had upgraded the security for him.  The jump drives were nowhere in sight, but recalled giving them to Alyx to hold onto, so he merely had to await her arrival to retrieve them, until then he could get started on those comparisons he’d planned on the drive over.

He had no idea how long he’d been working when the door opened, startling him. He spun about to see the two people he wanted to talk to most enter – Claire and Alyx.  He jumped to his feet knocking the chair over in his haste and rushed over to the women who both stared at him in consternation.  “Claire, are you all right?”

Claire looked over at Alyx before responding.  “I’m just fine… Kevin?”

Are you certain you’re all right?”

Claire gave him a smile.  “Quite certain.  Is there anything we can help with?" 

Kevin nodded, not really wanting to return to work now that Claire had arrived.  He had no idea how good it would be to actually _see_ her, especially when his emotions were not being influenced by the Madness.  She looked good, damn good and he hoped they would get a chance to just talk before he had to take his leave.  “Plenty, truth be told.  Alyx do you have my jump drives?”

She dug into her pocket and produced three of them.  “But of course.  I put in my notes and Claire added a few of her own, but they may not help all that much.” 

“Anything.  I’m at a dead end.” He moved back to the desk picked up the chair, and inserted the first drive into the machine.  “I still believe eliminating the Madness needs to be done prior to any removal, it will be too difficult to break the addictions prior to—“

“But won’t removing the genes simply cause an immediate withdrawal?” Alyx interrupted.  “You’d be switching the toxin off, we could clear out the remainder with a precise dose of Counteragent, but once accomplished the body would still want more of both.”

Kevin stared at her dumbfounded.

“Or am I missing something stupidly obvious.”

Claire answered, “No, you are correct.  We’d have to come up with something to counteract the withdrawal symptoms using this method.  That said, if it is the only way to safely remove the gland then we have little choice but to go about it this way.”

Kevin blinked slowly.  “You’ve considered this option, I take it?”

Claire shrugged.  “One of many, but we’ve been unable to locate the necessary gene sequence so the point is a moot one.  We’ve done the sims, but we can only take the scenarios so far.  And survivability of the surgery is still too low to even be considered feasible.”

Alyx leaned on the edge of the desk.  “There’s a reason we don’t tell Dare about our progress, he’d latch onto the first one that might work no matter how low the probability of survival and then we’d have one very dead invisible man.”

“He hates it that much?” Kevin asked, the note from this morning flashing in his mind.

Alyx looked at Claire before answering.  “Yes and no.  He hates what he can become and the people he hurts when he’s gone over into the Madness.”  She rubbed her face with one hand.  "He’s damn good, but would be better without having that Sword of Damocles hanging over his head every day.”

“I would say he’s resigned himself to the situation,” Claire added.  “He seems to enjoy the work, but hates the constraints.”

“His leash,” Kevin softly said.  “Having experienced it for myself I can understand why.”

Alyx snorted.  “Did you do anything you regret?”

“No.”

“Then you haven’t experienced it,” Claire told him.  “Which is neither here nor there as we’ve been requested to assist on the removal issue.”

“Where do you want to begin?” Alyx asked, dropping the previous conversation like the verbal hot potato it clearly was.

“Good question,” Kevin muttered.  “I intend to do a full genetic comparison with both versions of the gland and the Quicksilver in hopes of locating the gene sequence for the madness, but it will take some serious computational power for the run, so I’ve requested use of the mainframe during off hours.  Eberts said he would let me know by the end of the day.”  He half expected Alyx to argue the use of the mainframe, but she said nothing.  “However, if Arnaud is willing to answer my questions it should negate the need of the comparison.”

“And what makes you think you’ll be asking Arnie a thing?” Alyx inquired.

Kevin blinked.  “Ummm, why wouldn’t I?”

Alyx turned to Claire.  “I thought you said he was a genius.”

Claire choked on a laugh.  “Genius does not preclude clueless.”

Kevin felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment, though he wasn’t quite sure why they were all but calling him an imbecile.  “Do you think this is funny?  He has knowledge about the gland that can only help… and why are the two of you frowning?”

“Because you are missing the obvious,” Alyx explained, which didn’t explain anything at all as far as he was concerned.

Growing frustrated Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose.  “And what, pray tell am I missing.”

Alyx leaned over and began pressing keys on the laptop that resulted in his own… Darien’s countenance to be displayed by the camera on the screen before him.  “That’s why.”

Still, it took a minute for him to understand what she meant.  The camera simply showed him… in Darien’s body.  “Shit,” he mumbled.  “I’m Darien as far as he knows.”

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner.”

Claire snorted.  “Alyx or I will field any questions you may have.  You can listen in via the security cameras and feed us any follow-up ones, but we dare not allow Arnaud to realize that you, Kevin, are currently residing in Darien’s consciousness.  If he figures out the connection…”

“It would be bad, to put it mildly,” Alyx finished.

Kevin sighed heavily.

“What?  You think we ain’t smart enough to handle a few technical questions?” Alyx’s tone had darkened noticeably.  Kevin knew she had a short fuse when it came to him, but he had hoped she’d at least pretend to be polite with Claire in the room.

“No, that is not what I am implying at all.  It would just be simpler if I could question him in person, but you are correct that it would be unwise for him to become aware of this potential in the gland design.”  Kevin stood and paced away from the desk unable to look at his brother’s face any longer.  He had to remember why he was here and it had nothing to do with his own personal needs and wants, but what the Official wanted – a removal technique for the gland.  He was here on borrowed time in a borrowed body and could be banished at any time at the Official’s whim.

"Kevin, I understand that, but it's not going to happen, and truthfully it would be a waste of your time.  There is little need for the three of us to be in there together.  I can handle questioning Arnaud," Alyx glanced at Claire who frowned slightly, but made no comment.  "You two can split up the work in here.  Program the comparison sims and get down on paper that surgical technique for removal that I'm quite certain you have in your head."

Kevin chuckled at that.  "How did you know?"

Alyx shrugged.  "You said the issue was the toxin not removal," she replied.  "Arnie knows we want the toxin gene data, so he's trying to bargain his way out of jail time and that isn’t going to happen, I just have to convince him of that."

"What do we have to bargain with?" Claire asked.

"A removal technique for his faulty gland," Kevin replied certain of the answer.  "Remind him that without that gene sequence he'll be just as stuck as he is now.  His gland has numerous coding errors, all of which can be corrected with gene therapy treatments, but it will take time."

"So, you're saying you can correct the permanent invisibility issue, but that will not guarantee removal," Alyx summed up and Kevin nodded in response.  "I have no intention to tell him that we need to remove the toxin in order to remove the gland."

"Why not?" Claire asked, a look of confusion on her features.

"Because then he'd have no reason to give us any data.  He thinks we just want to cure the Madness for D, not that it's needed for removal," Alyx explained.

Kevin frowned, brow furrowing as he tried to understand.  "He'd sacrifice his own... cure just to spite Darien?"

"That too," Alyx said with a nod.  "He probably has an escape plan in place and is just waiting for something from us to enact it.  I'd like to keep that from happening for as long as possible."

"Wait, you expect him to escape?" Kevin asked in utter shock and confusion.

"We expect him to try." Claire clarified.  "And the longer he remains here the better then chance he will succeed, but the moment we transfer him to a secure lock-up we lose our advantage and ability to question him at will."

"The moment lawyers and such get involved, we lose all our power," Alyx added.  "And we need what little he pretends to let us have to get what we want.  I'll question him, or try to anyway."

"Alyx, are you sure about this?"  Claire set a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, concern on her face.

"Hobbesy will be there." Alyx explained.  "I'm going in with his laptop, see if he's willing to cough up some more info.  I promise I won't spend more than ten minutes with him."

"You'll need more time than that to get what I require," Kevin argued.

"If he isn’t talking by then, he isn’t going to and I might as well spend my time hacking into his files," Alyx answered with a tiny shrug of her shoulders.

"Ah, that makes sense I suppose.  Do you think you’ll have any success with his computer?”

“Not a clue.  I already know I can’t access the hard drive to dupe it, which means he’s learned a trick or two since we last dealt with each other.  I’ll have to do a direct hack, is all.”  Alyx sounded more than a touch smug.

“Why not have Eberts do it?” Claire asked in curiosity.

“I’m better at this sort of thing, no matter what the Official may believe,” Alyx told them with every confidence that her words were the truth.  "Eberts excels and data obfuscation, I find things.  Just one of those odd talents I've always had."

Claire nodded.  “Plus it means you get to see the data first.”

Kevin understood then.  “And memorize it.”

Alyx smiled.  “Exactly.”  She pushed off the desk.  “You have a list for me?”

“Uh, give me a second to write them up,” He dashed back to the computer only to have Alyx close it before he got the chance to type a word.

“Kevin, use that brain of yours and just give me the list, would you.  I’m going to be forwarding you the answers, should he provide anything other than snark, directly anyway.”

Kevin made an _oh_ as understanding dawned.  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.  It can be quite handy at times.”  He took a moment to focus his thoughts, choosing the most relevant questions for the time being.  Turned out there were only four, but if she were lucky enough to get actual answers would require several detailed follow up questions.  He could only hope Arnaud would be willing to cooperate, though based on Alyx’s statements wasn’t going to be very likely.

“You have no idea,” Claire commented with a smile.

“All right, I’m ready,” Kevin informed Alyx.

 _*Go ahead,*_ she prompted.

 _*These are the important ones,*_ he responded and allowed the questions to filter to the front of his thoughts.

 _*Got ‘em_ ,* she told him and then was gone from his mind.  “I’ll keep both of you in the loop.”  And with that she left the room at a brisk walk, ready to get on with the show.

“So,” Claire began walking to stand next to Kevin.  “Where shall we begin?”

Kevin chuckled.  “How about with: how are you?”

Claire smiled and ducked her head.  “I'm just fine.  I'd ask you the same, but we both know the answer to that."

"Dead," he managed with a chuckle.  "You went to work for the DOD, yes?"

Claire nodded.  "Yes, stayed there for quite a few years, though my work with them was not nearly as interesting as yours."  She smiled, head dipping slightly.  "You realized your dream, you created a viable method of usable invisibility."

"So it would seem.  Even if I wasn't the first to succeed, it still has definite practical applications... if I can figure out how to get it out."  So much work to do and so little time in which to accomplish it.  If he hadn't died... been killed at Perseus he would have had all the issues fixed.  A new Beta reagent to replace the one that had been faulty in Cole, a new version of the gland without any problems, but instead he had ended up with one that could and would cause the host to mentally implode on a regular basis.  Great for control, not so much for the emotional and mental stability of the host.  He needed to map out an entirely new version of the gland without any of the current or past problems -- easily doable provided he had the time and freedom to do so."

"What do you mean weren't the first?" Claire asked, pulling over a chair and sitting down beside him.

Kevin gave her a broad grin.  "Alyx, of course.  She's had the potential to Quicksilver since she was a young child from what I understand."

"Oh, well I suppose that is one way to look at it."

"Is there another?  Whoever ran the QSX project succeeded beyond their wildest dreams I am quite certain.  Alyx is amazing and if I had a few months to devote to her case, I would make every effort to duplicate the project.  Modifying the human genome in an adult to create Quicksilver naturally would be a fascinating project to tackle."

Claire just stared at him for a long silent moment.  "It really is you in there, isn’t it."

He nodded solemnly.  "I missed you, Claire.  There were so many occasions that I wanted to call you, but that whole Top Secret business..."

"Kevin...  It's been so long and there is so much I've wanted to share with you, I just..."

"Don’t believe it's me?"

She gave him a wan smile.  "Even having seen this before, I find it hard to rationalize..."

"Tell me about it," Kevin muttered.  "How did you end up here?"

"Destiny, apparently." Claire said with a smile.  "The Official made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  And… and continuing your work seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Sentimentality?  From you, I’m shocked.”

Claire batted a hand at him.  “You.  I—“

Their discussion was interrupted by Alyx.

* _Arnie is being an ass.  I’m not going to get anything out of him today,*_ Alyx’s mental voice was dark as the night and Kevin suspected if he could see her she’d appear quite angry.  _*I’ll be working on his computer in my office.  Do you need Hobbes for anything?*_

Kevin deferred to Claire, who shook her head.  “Get together for dinner, perhaps,” she suggested.

“Good idea,” Kevin agreed.  _*Alyx?*_

 _*Works.  I’ll check back in around five, call if you need anything.*_   And with that her presence was gone from his mind.

“Was she as angry as I think?”  Kevin could almost feel that anger pressing against the back of his mind.

“Quite.  She and Arnaud have a bit of a history and, let’s just say, he brings out her worst.”

“Thus you not wanting her with him for very long.”

“Caught that did you?  I… It’s not my story to tell and Alyx is on shaky enough ground right now that I will not do anything to cause it to crumble beneath her feet.”  Claire crossed her arms over her chest defensively for a moment.  “It’s not Classified or anything, so feel free to ask, but there’s no guarantee she’ll be willing to tell it.  I’m not even certain she’s discussed all the details with Darien.”

Kevin held up his hands in surrender.  “Not trying to pry really, just curiosity, pure and simple.  Is she really as smart as I think?”

“Smarter,” Claire answered truthfully.  “If she had the time to focus on one thing… actually that would bore her to death.  She _needs_ to multitask, it’s the way her brain is wired.”

“Her potential?”

“Off the charts.  And her genetics are stable.”

Stable.  Oh man, that would mean...  “Recessives?”

“She’s a ginger, so you tell me,” Claire responded with a bit of a laugh.  “Come now, we haven’t seen each other in years and all you want to talk about is another woman. I think I should feel insulted.”

“No need.  I’m far more interested in her genetics, than her,” he responded truthfully.  “Darien, on the other hand, is quite smitten, I believe.”

Claire nodded.  “From the moment they met.”

“Love at first sight?  In a padded room?” Kevin shook his head.  “Sounds like Darien.”

“Padded room?  How did you know that?” There was clear concern in Claire’s voice, probably worried that he’d gotten the info from Darien’s memories as opposed to a much more mundane method.

“Hobbes and Alyx have both mentioned it, so you can stop fretting.”  He could see the dozens of questions in Claire’s eyes, but knew this was not the time for them, especially since she had not been entirely convinced that he actually was Kevin Fawkes.  Perhaps an afternoon talking about the genetic breakdown of Quicksilver would convince her.  “We’ll have time to talk.  Right now we have work to do.” He waved at the laptop and the data sitting there.  “So, shall we?”

She gave him a broad smile, but he felt certain she wanted to continue the previous discussion as if it were the more important one.

“Of course.  Shall I review what we did yesterday?”

“Good a place as any to start,” Kevin agreed.  She scooted the chair over and opened a file from the jump drive.

 

…

 

Dinner was take-out.  Really good take-out, admittedly, but take-out all the same.  Alyx had volunteered to pick up dinner, as she had to go out anyway and returned with armfuls of gloriously scented Thai cuisine.  She placed the majority of the cartons on his desk in the lab before trotting off with three others -- for Arnaud, Hobbes had explained with a shrug.  Claire had been curious and he had added that one quality meal a day had been part of the deal Darien had cut with Arnaud for the password to his computer.  Not that said password had done them much good, but the bargain had been the point and not the piddly bit of data.  Alyx could have gotten in without it, Kevin had no arguments with that, she had proven her skills any number of times over the last several days.  He only hoped she would be successful in accessing the files on the drive, even if there wasn't any guarantee that they'd be of any use to them on the current matter.  The computer belonging to Arnaud did not automatically mean that the files on them had anything to do with Quicksilver, even though his implied bargain with Stark seemed to heavily suggest it did.

Hobbes hadn’t liked how little Arnaud had given them earlier, but also agreed that Alyx had made the right choice to end what at that point had turned into little more than name-calling and taunts and walk away.  He had assured Claire that nothing untoward had occurred, which Kevin found interesting but did not inquire into.  If it were something he needed to know about he'd be told.  There was more than enough to do already without trying to find yet more problems to solve.

When Alyx finally joined them she had Arnaud's laptop in hand, but seemed to be in a good enough mood.

"So how was Da Phone?" Hobbes asked around a mouthful of food.

"Sneeringly sarcastic as usual," she replied with a sigh as she dragged over a mayo cart Kevin had been using for pens and such.  "Hand me the Phad Panang, would you?"

Claire looked over the containers until she found the one requested and handed it over.

Alyx produced a pair of chopsticks from somewhere, opened the carton and dug in.  She gasped after the first mouthful and Hobbes handed over a can of soda with a laugh.  She downed half without pausing for breath, while the other three chuckled in amusement.

"Damn.  I keep forgetting how hot they make this one."  She dug right back in with a grin and an obvious amount of hunger and delight.

Once their initial need for nourishment had been satisfied they got down to the real reason for meeting.

"Any luck getting into the files?" Kevin asked, hoping for a yes, but not expecting one.

She shook her head.  "I've made headway, though.  I can actually see the drive files; I just can’t pull any data off them yet.  Not even the raw code.  I'm actually kind of impressed."  She turned to Hobbes.  "Giving me some ideas for new encryptions."

Hobbes snorted.  "Just what you need, more crap sucking up your brain power.  Stick to the job at hand for now."

Kevin found the response a tad harsh, but Alyx seemed to take it in stride.

"Nag, nag, nag.  I know where my priorities are."

"Good." He nodded.  "Now if can just keep you around long enough to get all this resolved quickly."

"How often are you out of town on assignment?"  Kevin had just kind of presumed her three week absence had been the exception and not the rule based on what he had overheard and been told since her return.

"About two weeks out of every month on average," she answered.

"And most of the rest she's on assignment here," Hobbes added.  "You work too hard."

"Tell me something I don’t know," she muttered.  "Hey, I get time off... now and then."

"Medical restrictions do not count as time off," Claire pointed out, "even if you aren’t actually working."

 "You mean working for the Fatman," Hobbes corrected, gesturing at Alyx with his fork.  "I don’t think she ever actually stops working."

"Then you shouldn’t have installed that software upgrade that allows my mind to process terabytes of data," Alyx responded with a patently fake sweet voice. 

"How much do you sleep?" Kevin inquired, wondering how the mental upgrades had affected other facets of her life.

"She averages five hours a night," Claire answered.  "But she can also stay awake for four days with no obvious ill effects."

Kevin nodded.  "Her... your ability to absorb energy countering such effects as fatigue, and allowing you to recharge and reset faster than the norm."

“That would be the conclusion I have come to as well.  I just don’t yet understand the why of it.”  Claire waved her fork about as she spoke.  “She does have her limits, though.”

Hobbes snorted.  “Really?  I ain’t seen any sign of limits.  Yeah, she overdoes it now and then, but her recovery is what?  Some pain meds and a nap?  I have to do more after a killer day.”  He didn’t sound jealous, just matter-of-fact.

“Ah, that’s just your age showing there, old man,” Alyx shot back with, but with a smile gracing her features.

Hobbes wagged a finger at her in mock anger.  “How many years do I have on you?  Truth.”

She shrugged.  “Not many,” she admitted then turned to Kevin.  “You and I are the same age give or take a few months.”

Kevin blinked at that.  She hadn’t been kidding when she said she was his contemporary.  “And yet you look sixteen or so.  Your ability to adapt is impressive to say the least.”

“So I keep getting told.”  She waved her hand.  "Enough about me.  Any luck at your end?"

Claire smiled.  "A bit and Eberts granted us permission to use the mainframe to run those detailed genetic comparisons."

"But since we can only run the program during down time, it will take a few days... if we're lucky," Kevin admitted.  He missed having state of the art equipment, but gathered that the QS-9000 project had basically broken the Agency's budget... and back.  Perseus remained closed down simply because there was no money to reopen and fund it.

"Kid could probably do it faster."  Hobbes said under his breath causing Alyx to snort in amusement.

"There's nothing I can say to that," Alyx said with a grin.  "Between me and Eberts that computer is processing at one hundred and twenty percent of capacity."  She turned to Claire.  "As to the gland... glands issue.  Perhaps a paradigm shift?"

Claire's eyes narrowed.  "In what manner?"

Alyx shrugged.  "Drop the assumption that it can’t be removed so long as the toxin is being produced."

Claire's lips formed a thin line as she considered that statement. 

Kevin's mind grabbed onto it like a lifeline. 

What if... What if his base presumption were indeed wrong?  Yes, he would have to ignore what all his preliminary tests had come back with.  What if he _could_ break the addiction prior to removal?   His mind whirling with the possibilities he almost missed Claire's comment.

"Alyx, if we remove it while it’s still producing the toxin his body would go into shock... even in an induced coma.  Sadly, he is very much an addict when it comes to both the toxin and Counteragent."

Alyx simply shrugged.  "And that could easily be countered by administering doses of both and slowly weaning him off of them. Which you should have already considered.  Yes, it’s more risky in some ways, but workable.  However, my point is if you spend all your time focused on just one facet of the problem, you will never see the other options that have always been there."

"I know you want to help him, but this is not the way to go about it.  I can only hope you haven’t been telling him any of this, you know how he gets," Claire admonished, sounding like a cranky, overbearing mother.

Alyx closed her eyes for a long moment, her breathing overly controlled. "And that is my cue to head home."  She got to her feet and swiftly set about putting her gear together, including a couple unopened cartons of food.

"Alyx, wait," Kevin tried only to be waved off by Hobbes.  Clearly he was missing something that the older agent had picked up on.

"Kid, you okay?"  Hobbes hadn’t moved, but even Kevin could tell the man was worried about his friend and partner.

She turned about to meet his eyes.  "I'm okay, Bobby.  Just been a long day is all.  Plus, I have some toys at home that might get me into the laptop."

He nodded, accepting her response, while Kevin still wanted to understand what the hell had just happened.  "Okay.  Meet for breakfast?"

She slung the strap of the bag now containing the laptop over her shoulder, the two cartons balanced precariously on the palm of her hand.  "Call me.  Bring Darien if he's up and about."  Her gaze flicked over to Kevin for a second before moving back to Hobbes.

"He will be," Kevin assured her, truly wishing she would stay so he could bounce ideas off her in person.  "I'll send you an email?"  Meaning if he had any other questions for her.

She nodded.  "That's fine.  Night everyone."  And on those words, she left the room.  Both men turned to Claire.

"What?" she asked feigning innocence.  "Come on now, even you've said the best method is to remove the toxin producing cells first, then the gland.  Are you saying you're wrong?"

"No.  But that does not mean it is the only method that will work."  He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his eyes with one hand.  "What she said makes sense, but it wasn't something I had considered... not really.  Crap."

"You're too focused on the one problem.  The toxin," Hobbes observed astutely, as he reached for a different take out container.

"Possibly.  What would you suggest?"

"Don’t treat it as a _problem_ , but as just another factor of the whole." Hobbes picked up his drink and downed a long swallow while Kevin mulled his words.

“Bobby, not to be insulting, but this is not your area of expertise by any stretch of the imagination,” Claire stated, trying for sympathetic, but missing the mark even to Kevin’s ears.

Hobbes frowned, but responded with, “Don’t matter.  Data is data.  I look for perps, you look for solutions to problems.”  He shook his head, as if unhappy Claire was being stubborn on the matter.  “What is it you always tell Fawkes?  Removing the gland is easy, survivability not so much.  _That’s_ your perp: survivability.  With the toxin or without.”  He pushed himself to his feet.  “I may not be smart enough to understand all the science of the gland, but I’m smart enough to know _that_.”  He picked up his carton and drink.  “Keep, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow, Doc, in a day or two.  And good luck.”

“Goodnight, Agent Hobbes,” Kevin responded, taking the man’s words to heart while Claire huffed in discontent. Once Hobbes had gone, Kevin turned to Claire.  “He’s not wrong, you know.”

“He’s not precisely right either,” she pointed out, sounding irritated.  “You are the expert on the Quicksilver gland, do you really think you should be heeding the advice of those who are not?”

Kevin shook his head.  “This gland, the one in my… Darien’s head is _not_ the gland I designed.  Similar, yes, but still vastly different from anything I had projected.”  He set down his container of food and then stood, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.  “And I fear the replacement reagent Arnaud chose may have altered more than just the Quicksilver.  It may have altered the entire structure in such a way that the changes cannot be corrected.  And truthfully, even if I were to eliminate the toxin producing genes there’s a chance the snowflake effect would no longer work.  And then Darien would be in even worse trouble than he is now.”

“Then what, Kevin.  Start over?  An entirely new gland design?”

“That might very well be the only option.  The original version was flawed.  The current version is not only flawed but dangerous to the host.”  He paced a tight circle about the room, stopping in front of the white board covered in formulas and notations that he was now certain were utterly useless.  With a growl of frustration he erased all the work they had done that afternoon.  Alyx did nothing without a reason.  Her suggestion, while seeming to be so very wrong on the surface, tugged at him, but he could not yet see why.  He sighed heavily.  His goal was simple: safe, survivable removal of the gland.

How to get from point A to point B seemed to be the issue.  He lacked necessary data and it would take time to acquire it.  Perhaps too much time.  He dare not stay in Darien’s body for an excessive amount of time.  The bonding of his mRNA with the gland could become permanent and there was no way to ascertain when that might occur.  They were sailing unknown seas and there were most certainly monsters below the seemingly calm waters.

He turned to Claire who seemed to be waiting for him patiently, though based on her playing with her food that patience was swiftly wearing out.  “We’ll come at the problem from two directions.”

“All right.” She set the carton aside.  “Can I assume one will be finding and removing the toxin?”

Kevin nodded.  “Yes, but we also have to make certain that removing the toxin producing genes does not affect the Beta reagent.  No point in removing them if he then becomes stuck permanently invisible.”

“You think the toxin may be vital to the reagent?”  Her tone seemed to suggest that she doubted that.

“I honestly don’t know, but given Arnaud made the final selection of the new reagent, it is a definite possibility.”

Claire frowned.  “Point taken.  What other research angle shall we be pursuing?”

He picked up an expo marker, drew a line down the center of the board to divide it in half and began to write out the original reagent formula on the left side. 

Claire got up and picked up another marker and proceeded to write down the current version on the right side.  “Do we know for certain the genes were part of the reagent, or might they just have been piggy-backed with the retro-virus to target a different area of the gland?”

Kevin sighed.  “I wish I knew.” He turned to her.  “That would be a question for Arnaud.”  He glanced at the clock on the wall noting it was only slightly after eight in the evening.  “Perhaps we, meaning you, of course, should have a go at talking to him.  Are you permitted to bargain with him?”  He knew Arnaud had been making some pretty steep demands for his gland knowledge that no one had been willing to pay.

“To a degree.  I believe only Alyx has full authority… aside from the Official that is.”

Kevin was surprised at that.  “She has been granted that much power?”

Claire nodded.  “The Official has given her an enormous amount of freedom in all facets of her work.  She’s unorthodox, but very good at what she does.”

“I’m starting to see that.”  Kevin stared at the board in dismay.  The two reagents were radically different from each other, which is why they had chosen the second one when it had come time for another human trial.  Perhaps they could revert to the old version, if only temporarily.  He’d need to perform a detailed genetic breakdown on Darien to make certain the same mitochondrial anomaly was not present, but that would be a fairly simple task.  As an option it felt wrong, but he would keep it in mind.  “I need more data.  I know why the original reagent failed, and while the chances of the problem repeating is small, it’s still great enough to not risk it.”

“And the current version somehow caused the Quicksilver to become toxic,” Claire stated tapping the pen against her cheek, “but otherwise works as designed.”

“And the Quicksilver will work properly without the toxin, we know that.”

Claire turned to him.  “How do we know that?”

Kevin looked at her in confusion, thinking the answer was quite obvious.  “Alyx, of course.  The Quicksilver is identical.”  That gave him an idea.  “Perhaps we should do a comparison of her beta reagent and the one Darien produces.  If we could modify his to mimic hers, that might solve the reagent problem.”

Claire frowned, brows knitting together as she processed his suggestion.  “But that won’t necessarily solve the toxin issue.”

Kevin sighed.  “True, but the reagent will need to be modified in any new gland.  We cannot use the one Arnaud created as it would corrupt the Quicksilver in the same manner.”  Hell, they could use her Quicksilver as the genetic base for any new glands.  Claire had stated her genetics were stable and Alyx had stated they were dominant, which meant it would be perfect for any new design.  Damn, meeting her was turning out to be quite fortuitous. Of course she might not appreciate his using her to further the research, but he was certain he could get her to come around.  The Official would want to forge ahead after proving the veracity of an invisible agent thanks to Darien.  Having more, without the side effects and without having to genetically modify the host, would be perfect.  And if redesigned correctly it would not be permanent as with Alyx.  Work for a certain number of years with an implanted gland and then remove it so they could move on or retire.  Oh, yes that would be exactly what the Official wanted.  An entire cadre of invisible agents, not just stopping problems, but preventing them from ever happening in the first place.

“Agreed, but Alyx’s system is entirely different.  Why look to her for modifications?”

“Because they are compatible.  You are aware of how Alyx made Arnaud visible, yes?”

Claire shook her head.  “I haven’t a clue, and didn’t think to ask as other matters have been on my mind.  I guess I just assumed she injected him with a high dose of the beta reagent thus forcing the snowflake effect to occur.”

A logical method to force Arnaud to become visible, but not the truth.  Looking at Claire it dawned on him that she didn’t know, that she had never made the connection that Alyx’s DNA had been used to adjust the serotype for human use of the gland.  For an instant he considered explaining the true situation to her, but something held him back.  Some niggling concern in the back of his… Darien’s brain that prevented him from saying a word.  Christ, with Alyx’s DNA the original sample, that carefully preserved and hoarded anomalous genetic throwback that his uncle had told him about when he’d been in his teens, would no longer be needed.  He could create an entirely new gland based on her completely human genetics that would be damn near flawless and probably perfectly adaptable to any host.

“Kevin?” Claire prompted drawing his up out sudden startling realization.

He turned his head without really seeing her, the structure of the new gland unfolding in his mind.  “Hmm, yes?”

She chuckled softly.  “You just had a eureka moment, didn’t you?”

He nodded, wishing she weren’t here so he could get his ideas down on paper, so to speak.  But not now, and not here.  If the Official got wind of this, he… Kevin would never be allowed to leave.  Besides he was here to get the gland out, not design a new one.  “Sadly, not for the current problem.”

“Then for what?” she asked.

He shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter, as it has nothing to do with getting the gland out of my brother’s head.”  He looked over the board again but gained no more insight than before.  The phone hung on the wall ringing interrupted his lack of insight as to how to correct the problem. 

Claire answered.  “The Keeper.”  She was silent for a few seconds then said, “Thanks, Eberts,” and hung up.  “The mainframe is ours until six a.m. so we had best get moving.”

Kevin nodded and grabbed his laptop, as he would have to transfer the actual program from it to mainframe, as well as all the relevant data before they could even begin.  If they were lucky they would get about six hours of run time in tonight, most of which could be done without their actual presence, thankfully.  Which meant they could pursue other avenues of research while the mainframe worked on the genetic comparison.  And he had promised Alyx that Darien would be up and about at a reasonable hour, which meant heading to bed for some sleep around midnight or so.  Considering that would mean he’d been awake for a fair eighteen hours was not unreasonable at all.  The loss of an entire day irked him, but was unavoidable, though it would be far easier if he had full control of the body, or was not, you know, dead. 

Everything would be different if he had not died.

So, very, _very_ different.

But he had died and Darien had been dragged in this spy business will he or nil he.  Actually, he’d been given no real choice.  Go mad or help the Agency.  The fact that he had turned out to be good had it was neither here nor there.  This hadn’t been his choice, not really, and Kevin was his only hope to get out of this mess.  So, instead of a new gland he would maintain his focus on getting the current one out of his brother’s head and give him the option of continuing his life without the Agency’s control.  Kevin had no idea if Darien would stay on the straight and narrow once out of the purview of the Official, but with Alyx in Darien’s life did not see him returning to thieving.  It just didn’t seem to fit the man he had become, but even Kevin would admit he didn’t know his brother at all.  Too much distance, too many harsh words and accusations, no matter how true, had separated them.

“Kevin, is everything all right?”  Claire asked, and he realized he’d been standing there thinking deep thoughts for several minutes.

He gave her a wan smile.  “No, but I’m hoping to fix that.”

She looked confused, but it didn’t matter.  He knew what he had to do.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular chapter was exceedingly long (nearly 20k, eek!) so it has been broken up into two parts.

 

This time the note was taped to his alarm clock, which had not been set, thankfully, as it was a fair bet Kevin hadn’t hit the hay until well into the witching hour.  He lifted the note to check the time, finding it to be just after ten in the morning.  He flopped back and assessed his condition.  He felt pretty good, not really wanting to roll over and go back to sleep, which was a fair sign that he’d gotten more than a couple hours of necessary unconsciousness, but he made note of the dull ache in his skull and not the usual back of his head.  It wasn’t the first time he’d woken up with a headache, and certainly wouldn’t be the last; he just had no clue as to the cause this time around.  Maybe Kevin had been thinking to hard or something. Darien sighed softly, deciding to worry about it later, and took the time to stretch, wishing Alyx were curled up next to him, but not blaming her for not wanting to crawl into bed with his brother, even knowing she’d be waking up with him.  Then his body woke up enough for him to need to get up and answer that proverbial call of nature. 

With a soft sigh he rolled out of bed and padded lightly to the bathroom. 

Only after he’d dealt with the necessities, which included starting the coffee brewing, did he finally read the note.  It wasn’t much and it wasn’t in code, just directed him to watch a video on the laptop.  He sighed and looked about for the evil bit of electronics, finding it, unsurprisingly, on the desk.  He walked over to it, rubbing the back of his head and yawning, thinking he might need the coffee in him before dealing with whatever message his brother had left him.

Sitting down in the chair he opened the laptop, the computer coming out of sleep mode all on its own, the video conveniently cued up and waiting for him.  His own face frozen on the screen with a big ol’ play me arrow on his face.  He could smell the coffee, but decided to forge ahead without it.

“ _Hey, Darien.  Your girl is smarter than the both of us put together.  I would still be passing notes if she hadn’t pointed out this computer has a video camera.”_   Kevin ducked his head, shaking it in clear amusement.  He wore the same outfit Darien currently had on, so must have made this video right before hitting the sack.  _“I want you to know that I’m sorry.  I know I don’t remember why I asked you to help out on the project – even reading the files hasn’t answered that question, aside from the obvious need to keep you out of prison – but I don’t believe I ever intended this to become a permanent situation.”_

Darien kind of wished there was an answer to that question as he had been wondering about it himself for a very long time now.

 _“I’m going to get you out of this somehow.  Yes, that means a viable solution to the gland removal issue.  That’s my focus and I hope to have a solution quickly, but…”_ Kevin trailed off, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, he looked like he wanted to remove his glasses and toss them aside, but couldn’t as this particular body had no need of them.  _“I need Alyx’s help.  I know that sounds strange now that we have Claire back, but it’s true.  And she’s… she is not dealing well with the situation at all.  I think… I hope she understands that it really is me and that all I want to do is help, but all I get from her is anger.  Not that she doesn’t have a right to be angry – the Official was not thinking clearly when he went ahead with this plan.  I just… Could you talk to her please?  Just get her to give me the benefit of the doubt.  I admit to having a bit of a superiority complex—“_ He stopped, shaking his head, as if not certain he was getting across what he needed to say. 

Darien paused the video, deciding he needed the caffeine in him before he watched any more of this.  The fact that Kevin had just admitted to having a bit of an attitude was astonishing to say the least.  Darien had been harping on that very subject for years, only to have it fall on deaf ears, and yet, with a just a few days of exposure to Alyx he was admitting to it.  Damn, she must have ripped him a new one or two and not filled in Darien about it.  He added cream and sweet and low to the cup and carried it back to the desk.  Without sitting he hit play and sipped at the coffee.

 _“I want to be able to promise you that I’ll be successful, but the toxin is fucking everything up… as I am sure you already know.  If I can’t, if there’s really no safe way to remove it as it currently is, I’ll try something else.  Resequencing the DNA to remove the toxin maybe.  It… it’s complicated to put it mildly.”_   Kevin shook his head looking frustrated. _“If you could get Arnaud to cooperate this would go faster, but I have to assume he won’t and that Alyx won’t be able to get into his hard drive.”_   He smiled at that.  _“Sorry, that sounded wrong.”_

Darien chuckled, agreeing that that particular phrase just didn’t work.  Even though they had rescued Arnaud from Stark the Swiss bastard wasn’t likely to be giving up anything to anyone at the Agency, which meant his value had become nonexistent and without his cooperation the Official would get rid of him at the first opportunity.  Probably to Interpol who had a long list of charges awaiting his appearance and could keep him locked up in some hole for the rest of his days.  Not a bad ending, really, Darien had to admit, but he’d rather get his pound of flesh and some answers first.

 _“I will do everything I can to fix this… this mess I got you… us into.  But if I can’t, if you end up stuck here with a faulty gland, I want you to know I tried everything I could first.”_   Kevin rubbed the back of his neck in eerie imitation of what Darien did when the first beginnings of the madness would make itself known.  He glanced down at his tattoo that had exactly one segment red, which he found a touch odd, but couldn’t be certain that Kevin hadn’t Quicksilvered for whatever reason while he’d been in charge of the body.  Shit happened, and even after all this time, he occasionally still lost control.  Of course it didn’t help when Alyx tried to make him lose said control, which was often quite fun he had to admit, but still burned up his allowed usage faster than he preferred.

 _“I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.  Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.”_ Kevin managed a smile.  _“You have some real friends here, I hope you know that.”_   And there the video ended, leaving Darien with a lot to think about.  He finished the coffee hoping the caffeine would help ease the headache, and headed for the shower, pondering just when Kevin had decided to give a damn about his brother the two-bit thief.

.

 

Hobbes and Alyx were sitting at the back table at the Fifth Street Diner when he walked in just after eleven.  He had been surprised that they wanted to meet there and not at the office, but he didn’t complain since he adored the coffee and the pastries were to die for.  He most definitely felt the need for caloric intake, his usual near-constant hunger seemed to have trebled since the last time he’d been up and about, and since waking that dull throbbing had only been building between his eyes, which boded ill for him making it through the day without painkillers.  He leaned down to kiss Alyx who smiled brightly up at him, then took the seat across from Hobbes.  “What’s up?”  Alyx had Arnaud’s laptop open on the table before her, typing vigorously on the keyboard in what he could only hope was a successful manner.

“Thought we’d get you up to speed before heading into the office is all,” Hobbes said far too casually for it to be the truth.

The waitress stopped by and Darien ordered his usual then turned to look at Bobby who sat there sipping his latte as if nothing were going on.  “Come on, what happened?”

Hobbes looked over at Alyx who shrugged.

“Nothing.  And that’s the problem,” Hobbes finally answered with a frown.  “Ain’t made no headway on the whole getting the gland out thing, and the Keep is shooting down every reasonable suggestion anyone makes.”

Darien’s eyes narrowed, afraid that the Keeper had been ordered to stall Kevin on his efforts to get the gland out.  “What kind of suggestions?”  Kevin’s video fresh in his mind.

Hobbes set down his coffee.  “Your bro thinks the only way to get the gland out is if he gets rid of the toxin first, kid suggested different and the Keep jumped down her throat.”

Alyx lifted her head.  “It wasn’t that bad, Bobby.  Besides that was the exact same conclusion she’d come to, months ago, she… we just hit a dead end because we can’t find the damn gene that produces the toxin.  And… and even if we did there is no guarantee that we could eliminate it safely.”

Darien blinked while Hobbes sighed dramatically.  “Jennings is right, you always head for the worst case scenario, don’t you?”

She blew a fair raspberry at Bobby.  “Worst case would be that the toxin genes are required for the gland to function correctly.” She turned to Darien.  “That could be why Arnie’s is fucked up, his toxin levels are far lower than yours, which means the gene could be miscoded since his gland is clearly cloned tissue.”

Their server slipped in during Alyx’s pause for breath to place Darien’s goodies before him.  She didn’t even bat an eye at what must have been a very strange conversation to her ears.  This wasn’t their first time meeting here for a work-related discussion and the staff had long ago learned to tune out anything they said that didn’t directly relate to them.  “Does Kevin know this?”

Hobbes snorted.  “The Doc hasn’t even looked at Arnaud’s gland data since we got Claire back.”

Alyx wrinkled her nose.  “As it should be.  He’s been ordered to find a viable removal for the gland, he chose to interpret that as finding one for your gland.  He’s just hitting a lot of brick walls.”

 _Wait a minute…_   “What do you mean by ‘chose to interpret’?  What other gland could he be finding the solution for?”

“Duh, new ones.” Hobbes answered, looking unhappy about telling Darien that. 

“Kev’s making new glands?”  He certainly hadn’t mentioned _that_ on the video.

“Not that I’m aware of, but I don’t doubt he’s thinking about it.  His focus is removing the current version, that I am certain of,” Alyx told him, but Hobbes shook his head.

“This so ain’t gonna end well,” he muttered, then hid behind his drink as if knowing that an explosion was immanent from one of them.

“It already hasn’t ended well, Hobbes.  Kev is _dead_ , remember?”

“Might want to remind the ‘Fish of that fact.”

Alyx glared at Hobbes for a long moment, but didn’t say anything.

“Alyx, what is going on?”  Darien turned to her, hoping like hell she’d give it to him straight.

“Nothing…”  Hobbes growled softly and she shot a glare at him.  “Nothing that I am one hundred percent certain of.  Kevin needs data, Arnaud has the data and is refusing to cooperate without full immunity for a host of things he’s done and, I’m sorry, D, but I am not making that kind of Faustian bargain with the man.  He lies with a straight face and could fuck things up even worse with the tiniest bit of misinformation.  He’s not stupid and knows we won’t help him get his gland out unless it looks to be falling into the hands of someone worse.”

“Which is why we pulled him out of Stark’s grasp,” Bobby added and got a nod from Alyx.

“If the Official decides he wants that gland, Arnie’s survival is not at the top of the list of necessities, even if he were willing to give us every bit of data we needed when it comes to his modified reagent and the Counteragent.”  Alyx rubbed her forehead, but met Darien’s eyes without a trace of deception in them and he had to admit that she was right.  The only reason Arnaud was still alive is because the Official wanted it that way.  That could change in a heartbeat. Which meant they were running on borrowed time at this point.  “We have gigabytes of data to plow through and run comparisons on and in the end it might not help at all.  And to make matters worse, he’s apparently learned a thing or three about encryptions.  It’s going to take me days of continuous work to get anything of value out of this machine and I keep getting interrupted.”  She pouted, which made Darien chuckle softly.  “There are too many games being played and I have no clue what is going to happen next,” she groused, giving up on whatever she had been doing on the laptop and shutting with a soft snap.  “Damn, I do not need a headache now."

Darien shifted, unable to not notice how she was valiantly trying to rub a hole in her forehead.  “Uh, that might be my headache you’re feeling.”

She closed her eyes for a long moment and he felt her power wash across him, which caused him to shiver in pleasure.  Even with a headache he wanted some time alone with his girl before the day was over.  “Ugh.  How long have you had it?”

He shrugged and nibbled at his Danish.  “Since I woke up,” he told her around a mouthful of bliss.  “Anything happen that I should know about?”

“Not unless the Keeper knocked your bro upside the head after I left.  Far as I know they were going to work on the gland problem all evening.”  Hobbes glanced over at Alyx with a worried expression on his face.

“Three marker boards of computations and formulas,” she said.  “Maybe the Thai didn’t sit well?” she suggested with a shrug and a grin.

“Aw, I missed Thai?  You get the Panang?”  Alyx nodded.  “Leftovers?”  His tone had taken on a pleading note.

“An entire carton, just for you,” she confirmed.  “Should I check you out when we get in?”

“Darlin’, you can check me out any time you want.”  He wagged his eyebrows suggestively, which made Hobbes groan and Alyx laugh.  “But we’ll save that for later.”  He leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out under the table.  He felt Alyx’s feet slide up under his calves, rubbing gently against the muscle, the contact feeling quite nice at the moment.

“Is everything else all right?  Arnie still in one piece?” 

Hobbes snorted.  “So far.  Kid does not go in unsupervised and does not stay for long.” He glanced over at Alyx.  “Her patience has worn quite thin with pretty much everyone at this point.”

Alyx sighed, but didn’t disagree, which meant Hobbes’ statement was more than true.  “Has Arnie really forgotten we are essentially his only resource when it comes to gland issues?”

“But we’re not,” Alyx argued.  “He went to Stark for a reason, even if we have no idea what it really is.  Stark, through Chrysalis, has all the resources Arnaud needs to do anything he wants with the gland.  Yeah, I wiped the data on that particular system, but the likelihood copies weren’t made is nonexistent.”

“Has Stark made any moves since we swiped Arnie out from under his nose?” Darien asked, certain he knew the answer.  There would be no way Stark would let Arnaud just wander off, not when he could wring him dry of every bit of data he had in his evil little mind.  There was little chance they’d allow the man to join their Homo Superior club, but use him?  Oh, most certainly.

“Not that we are aware of…” Hobbes trailed off when he glanced over at Alyx who had gone dead still at the question.  Darien found that interesting, which begged the question what exactly had she found out and not shared with the class.  “Kid, what have you been doing?”

“My job, what else.” She turned to Dairen.  “They shut down that particular branch of Stork, but they are everywhere under a half dozen different names.”

“And you think they’re going to do something with the Quicksilver.  Do we know they got anything from Arnie?”  Darien didn’t like this, didn’t like it at all, but there wasn’t much they could do about it except clean up the mess left behind.

“All they would need is one blood sample from him.  Everything they require would be in it, and I firmly believe they are capable of reverse engineering the entire gland from that alone.  Though that would not be their only option.  Just creating Quicksilver by the gallon would allow them to hide _anything_ they wanted in plain sight.  Though I doubt they’d do something so mundane as hide trucks or a building.”

“Then what, kid? Only so many ways it can be used.”

“Come on, it’s a fertility clinic.  What do you think Stark is going to do with Quicksilver tech, create an invisible banana?” 

Hobbes actually paled.

“Shit.  They could graft it onto the genome and produce any number of embryos with a natural form of Quicksilver,” Darien stated as he put the pieces together.

Hobbes blinked.  “Uh, which Fawkes brother are you?”

Darien frowned, taking umbrage with the implied slur against his level of intelligence.  He was more than smart enough to figure it out and had been hanging around with Alyx and the Keep for long enough to pick up on the lingo. “I’m me,” he groused.  “Don’t assume that smart talk means Kevin is stopping by to visit.” He focused on Alyx.  “How long would it take them to pull that off?”

Alyx shrugged.  “Would depend on their resources and brain power.  They would have to correct the flaws, eliminate the toxin and modify it to grow naturally within the embryo.  Not impossible, but will certainly take more than a couple of weeks.  Years, maybe, depending on the problems encountered.  And then there’s the issue of side effects that could appear as the child grows.  You can run simulations to predict what _might_ happen, but until you allow that first child to be born and grow up there’s no way to know for sure what will go wrong.”

Alyx had obviously taken to the time to consider all the ramifications, while the Official remained in denial that Chrysalis had even been involved.  This was one mess that would surely come back to bite them on the ass in the future.  “You keeping an eye on them?”

“Much as I can.  I dare not risk confirming that it was the Agency that snatched Arnaud or they might very well decide to deal with us in a far too permanent manner.”

And that was the problem in a nutshell.  Should Stark, never mind Chrysalis as a whole, decide to wipe the Agency and all it’s employees off the map they would be gone with not a trace of them remaining behind. Fair bet the US government wouldn’t even acknowledge the loss; much less miss the drain, however tiny, on their coffers.  One less Cold War relic sucking tightly budgeted money down that swirling drain.  “Are they looking for him?”

“More like looking for whomever broke in to prevent it from happening again.  Whatever was going on at that particular facility they do not want it getting out.”  Alyx sighed and rubbed her eyes, looking far too tired for so early in the day.

“You’re covering all our asses on this one?” Hobbes sounded cranky, as if upset she hadn’t come to him for help.

“Bobby, the Official ordered us to let it go, I just wanted to make certain our tracks were covered.  I care even if the boss doesn’t,” she grumbled at him.

“Kid… I just meant you shouldn’t have to shoulder all the work alone.  The Official is being a stubborn idiot and in total denial on the reality of the sitch.”  He paused, brows knitting together in thought.  “Could he be ignoring the truth for a reason?”

“You mean aside from rampant assholery?” Darien tossed into the fray.

Hobbes chuckled.  “Yeah, actually.  Kid’s had the feeling something with this whole Kevin thing was hinky from the start.  Maybe something is.  Wouldn’t be the first time he’s thrown us under the bus in an effort to save us.”

Scary, but true.  Luckily, they had indeed managed to save themselves and their jobs on any number of occasions before now.  “Can we find out?”

“I’ll poke deeper, but it risks that whoever is at the other end of the stick might notice us,” Alyx told them, making it clear she’d been looking into the theory already, and quite possibly had found something, just not enough to confirm their suspicions.

“So poke carefully,” Darien countered with, smiling so she’d know he was joking… mostly.

She smiled right back.  “I can do subtle.”  She leaned forward and set a hand on his arm.  “We’re at a stalemate with Arnie, any thoughts to get him to cooperate, even a bit?”

“Something other than letting your alter egos loose on him, though.  Might have scared the shit out of him, but it also made him twice as stubborn.”  Hobbes sounded quite unenthused about interrogating Arnaud, as if certain it was a waste of time and energy at this point. 

Darien had to admit it very well could be.  The man had become convinced that he held all the cards, but they had one.  Just one, but it was a doozy.  “I might have an idea.”

Hobbes quirked an eyebrow.  “And what might that be, Fawkesy.  Catering to his every whim?”

Darien shook his head.  “Why’d he call us in the first place?”

Hobbes shrugged.  “ ‘Cause he’s an idiot.  If he really wanted info from Claire he wouldn’t have called us at all.  He knew we’d come and get her eventually.”

“Exactly.  I’m thinking the deal he cut with Stark, wasn’t quite as give and take as he led us to believe.”  Darien drummed his fingers on the table.  “What was the one thing he asked for?”

“A removal technique,” Hobbes answered, playing the straight man for the time being.

Darien smiled.  “So why isn’t he still?”

Alyx’s eyes narrowed, then widened.  “Oh, the sneaky little shit.  He knew if we went after Claire we’d bring him along, especially once we knew Chrysalis was involved.  We fucking rescued him and then gave him the one thing he _really_ wanted.”  She ran a hand through her hair and groaned.  “We were so focused to getting Claire back, we never looked any further.”

Darien nodded in agreement.  “We had no reason to.  He was playing pitiful wretch to the hilt and snowed _all_ of us.”

Hobbes raised a tentative hand.  “Could you fill in the rest of us?  How did we give him what he wanted?  He still has his faulty gland in his head.”

“Hobbesy, don’t be upset, I didn’t see it either until now, but Darien’s right.  Arnaud is fully aware there isn’t a viable removal technique and that it will take months to create one.  No, he wanted something else, something much more important to him and his business: to be visible.”  Alyx looked as if she wanted to pound the table with her fists. 

“Damn it.  Does he even give a flying fuck about the gland in his head?” Hobbes asked at a near snarl.

Alyx shrugged.  “Doubt it.  He knows how to turn the thing off for extended periods of time.  I suspect that’s what he intends to do once he’s made his escape.”

“We’re not just going to let him go, are we?”  Darien would much rather turn him over to another Agency than watch him walk out the door.

“Nah.  We’ll make him work for it, but I suspect whatever plan he has to get away had already been set in motion.”  Hobbes sounded as frustrated as Darien felt.  “We’ll up the security for whatever good it’ll do us.  Not like we have anything to use against him.”

Darien smiled.  “Oh, yes we do.”

Alyx laughed.  “You are an evil, evil man.”  She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

“Really?  You’re gonna start this shit again.  Could you at least pretend to not share the same brain for five seconds here,” Hobbes grumbled, not liking being left out of the loop even if it wasn’t on purpose.

“Hobbes, all we have to do is threaten to turn him invisible and he’ll be coughing up anything we want.” Darien explained smugly.  Oh, this was going to be so much fun.  He would actually get to poke flaming sticks at his nemesis and drive him right over the edge if necessary.  Alyx could always drop the Quicksilver again and then they could start over until they broke the slimy little shit.  He rubbed his hands together lightly, looking forward to his job for once.

“Oh ho.  I like that plan.  But…”

Darien groaned, not wanting to hear what was coming next.

“We have to get the Official’s approval on this one.”

“Why?  Last I checked he’d left the interrogation in our hands to handle as we please since he can’t be bothered.”  True enough, and though Darien had been surprised at the time, it now made sense.  They were never supposed to catch Arnaud, hadn’t even been sent to rescue Claire.  The Official had tried to wash his hands of the entire situation except for authorizing the use of the Return Protocol to bring Kevin back to life. 

Hobbes sighed.  “I know, but he is still our boss and all.  Besides once he’s invisible it’ll be easier for him to just walk out the front door.  I think a heads up of our game plan might be in order.”

Darien and Alyx glanced at each other then nodded.  “He’s right,” he said, not too thrilled with that fact.

Alyx pouted and looked disturbingly cute doing it.  “I know.  Bets he’s going to shoot us down.”

“I’ll take twenty on that,” Hobbes responded.  “ ‘Fish wants info from the Swiss Miss Mother as much as Fawkes’ bro does.  He ain’t going to throw this opportunity away.”

They both looked expectantly at Darien.  “Nope.  Not getting in the middle of this one.  I’ll play bank this time.”  He held out his hands for the cash.

Hobbes snorted as he turned over the lone twenty in his wallet.  “Chicken.”

“Damn straight,” Darien agreed, pocketing the money.  “We’ll ask the boss when we arrive."

“Provided his majesty is available,” Alyx grumbled.

“He been hiding from you?” Darien asked, shifting his leg to bump up against hers under the table.

“That’s one way to put it,” Hobbes groused.  “We haven’t seen him since we got Claire back.  Just left us to our own devices pretty much.”  His gaze went from Darien to Alyx and then back.  “I agree with the kid, something is up, but I ain’t got a clue as to what.”

“He’s waiting for something to happen,” Alyx said in such a soft voice that Darien just barely heard her. 

When he turned to look her eyes held this faraway gaze that suggested that her abilities had chosen that moment to kick in and drop them a tidbit of information.  “What?  What is he waiting for?”

Her eyes drifted shut and she whispered two words, “A ghost,” then she shivered from head to toe and blinked her eyes back open to greet the stunned gazes of the two men sitting with her.  “What?”

“Jeez, kid, you need to warn us when you’re about to go all oracle on the mountain on us,” Hobbes stated, frowning.

She glowered at Bobby.  “Right, like I get a vote in the matter.  I don’t like this, guys.  I don’t start spouting shit unless things are going bad fast.”

Darien reached out to pat her on the arm.  “We know, but what can we do about it?”

“Fix it,” she stated emphatically.

“Sure, kid.  How?”

She sighed heavily.  “You want the answers too?  ‘Fraid I ain’t got any of those today.”

“You said ‘a ghost’ so I’m betting that’s Kevin, but he’s already here, how can the Official be waiting for him?”  Her visions, or whatever you wanted to call them were rarely wrong.  Their interpretation might be off, but never what she had actually spoken.  And these sudden bursts of knowledge had nothing to do with the Quicksilver Dreams, even if they seemed to be similar on the surface.  No, far more often than not, her subconscious had simply put all the pieces together, while her conscious mind still could not see the puzzle, much less the finished product.  “We know the ‘Fish brought Kevin back for a reason, right?”  They both nodded in agreement.  “And we’re pretty certain the removal line is bullshit, yes?”  He hated to admit that, but felt certain it was the truth.  That Arnaud’s demands for a removal technique in exchange for the safe return of Claire had been complete and total bullshit – which they’d just figured out for themselves – which meant there was another deeper reason.  So what could it be?  Completing the project?  He wanted to surmise that Arnaud was a non-factor in the whole thing, but couldn’t dismiss his presence entirely as he had been the one to set off the events that led to Kevin’s return.  So the QS Project _might_ be the reason.  Hell, Kevin’s peanut butter and bologna sandwich recipe might be the reason.  Some other project they were all unaware of, but that the Official knew about, might be the reason.  There was simply no way to know.  After all, in this group what other ghost could there be?

“Fawkes?” Hobbes prompted, hoping his partner might actually have figured this out.

“I… I’m not sure.  I think I need to talk to Kev to sort this out.”  He grinned at Alyx.  “Thanks, by the way.”

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before the light dawned.  “Figured out the video camera, did he.”  She chuckled softly.  “Still, must be kinda weird to see yourself as someone else…”  She trailed off and both men jumped on that tiny sign she might have had a light bulb moment.

“Alyx?”  The emotions coming off her seemed to suggest her revelation was not a very happy one.

“Not yet, okay?  I want to let it percolate a bit more.”

Darien nodded, knowing when to not push.  He glanced at his watch.  “Guess we should be heading in.  Should we schedule an appointment with the boss, or just walk in unannounced?”  He was kind of hoping for the latter, feeling the need to tweak his boss for all the bullshit he’d been shoveling at them lately.

“I’ll give Eberts a call, let him know what’s up,” Hobbes offered, pulling out his cell phone and wallet. 

“I got this,” Alyx said, waving him off, he nodded his thanks and headed towards the door with is phone to his ear. She picked up the laptop and slid it into the bag next to hers.  “What’s up, bub?”

He sipped at his coffee, not quite ready to face a day at the Agency just yet.  “Uh, nothing?”

She shook her head and scooted the chair closer.  “You’ve got that need to talk to Alyx vibe coming off you loud and clear, so I repeat: what’s up, bub?”

He chuckled softly then leaned over to kiss her not overly surprised she’d picked up on Kevin’s request rattling about at the back of his mind and now was as good a time as any he supposed.  “What’s up between you and Kev?”

“Up?  Absolutely nothing.  Why?”  Her tone had gone bland and she sat back in her chair stiffly.

“ ‘Cause he says he needs your help and you apparently have a very short fuse when he asks for it,” Darien stated keeping his tone just as bland.  He watched her jaw visibly clench and waited for the brilliant explosion to follow, but instead all she did was sigh heavily.

“He’s not you,” she finally said as if that should make any sense.

“Damn straight he’s not me.  I could never be that boring.”  Alyx managed a snort of laughter for him, just as he had planned.  “I know he’s an egghead and all, but he’s not a bad guy, really.”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what?  I know you don’t like the situation, but we’re stuck with it for the time being.”  He leaned forward and took her hands into his, hers so tiny in comparison.  “Look, I know it’s weird, but Kevin’s not the one with ulterior motives.  Just… I know he hasn’t earned your trust, but trust him to be him.”  He met her eyes, certain he was screwing this up in the extreme.

“Darien, I…” she shook her head.  “I’m not sure what you want me to do.”

“Sweet thing, you’re so screwed up by the sitch you’ve forgotten to be yourself.”

“And what does that mean?” She looked utterly confused.

“Crap, I’m saying this all wrong.  Just let Kevin _be_ Kevin. Do you really think he expected to wake up in my body?”  She shook her head, not yet prepared to speak.  “Look at it this way, the sooner he solves the problem, the sooner he leaves and I stop being a timeshare.”

Alyx didn’t even smile.  “Do you really think the boss is going to let the brain trust leave after he solves problem number one for him?”

Darien felt his stomach drop to the floor.  He was terrified of that possibility.  He knew Kevin was worth so much more than him, at least to the majority of the population of the world.  With one important exception: Alyx.  “No, I don’t, but there isn’t much I can do about it.  You on the other hand…”

She shook her head.  “All he has to do is ship me off on a long term assignment and it would be a done deed.”  She reached out and cupped his cheek in one hand.  “I can’t protect you this time, the fox is already in the hen house.”

"Alyx, you don’t have to, not this time.  I believe Kevin, and all he wants to do is fix the gland."

She shook her head.  "I don't doubt that, really, but the Official might very well have other plans."

"So, find out what they are and keep Kev in the loop.  No matter how much he wants the project to succeed, I doubt he’d do so at my expense."

"He did the first time," she sneered, then frowned as she realized exactly what she had said.  "Damn it."

Darien reached out to stroke her cheek.  "I've twisted your point of view, obviously.  I'm asking you to let go of that, for now."

"You couldn’t just ask for the impossible, could you?"

He laughed, the contact giving him a fair understanding of how exactly how hard it would be for her.  "Nah, impossible is easy for you.  I just want the merely difficult."

"I'll try," she said, clearly not happy with much of anything as of late.  "Him not being you is seriously screwing with my head."

"Mixed signals?"

She nodded.  "That too.  Let me state for the record that it is very weird watching you trying to adjust a pair of glasses that you're not even wearing."

"I imagine it is.  Give him what time you can and walk away when you have to.  I'll make it clear to him that you're doing your best what with the weird-ass situation and all."

"And see if I can figure out what's really going on."

"And maybe diffuse it?"  He suspected that would be her plan, but he doubted she had any idea where to start. 

"I can but try."  She pondered for a long moment.  "I'll talk to Claire first, see if there was anything going on that I'm not aware of prior to her being snatched."

"A plan.  This could be bad, y'know."

She pulled a smile out for him. Reaching into a pocket she tossed cash on the table that would easily cover everything with a more than generous tip on top of it.  "Usually is," she pointed out with a laugh.  Getting to her feet, she slung her bag over her shoulder and held out a hand for her to join him.  "C'mon you, we have work to do."

"Aw, do we has to?" he complained as he got to his feet. 

"Yes, we has to."  She curved her fingers about his.  "Dinner?  Just us?"

"Definitely."  And with that, they walked out into the late morning sunshine.

 

 

…

 

"No."

Darien could feel the vibration of the growl that Alyx let slip out at the Official's answer.  They'd made their case calmly and rationally and without more that half a second of thought he nixed the idea.

"Okay, why not?" Hobbes asked, eyeing Alyx and surely seeing how happy she was with that response.

"Aside from I'm the boss, it's unnecessary at this time.  Continue with normal procedure for now.  If you have nothing of value in a few days we'll revisit the suggestion."  The Official made it clear that there would be no discussion on the matter.

"Wait, you want Kevin to solve the removal issue, a Kevin that, if I might remind you, has zero knowledge about this version of the gland, but don’t want us to get information from the one person who has all the details.  Could you explain the logic of this one?"  Alyx held onto her temper, but only just, her tone going cold, which was never a good sign.

"Do you really need him?  I have every faith that between the three of you, a workable solution will be found," the Official responded far too jovially for the atmosphere in the room.  It was almost as if he had no clue exactly how unhappy Alyx really was.

"In six months maybe.  We need the details on the toxin... just as we always have."

"Dr. Fawkes is running a comparison on the mainframe, that should give you the answers you need," Eberts reminded all of them and physically flinched when Alyx turned and leveled her gaze upon him.

"A comparison that, as you should know, only stands a fifty percent chance of success.  There is no guarantee it will identify the toxin gene sequence with one hundred percent certainty, and even if it does, there remains a chance it will be in a location that does not allow it to be removed."  Alyx crossed her arms over her chest, a stubborn look upon her features.  She'd been trying to keep him up to speed on everything they'd been doing, but he'd missed all this, and while she did tend to have an eye for the worst-case scenario, her percentages were rarely wrong.  It's why he loved taking her to the track.

If she said the odds were better with Arnie's help, then he'd back her completely and with utter confidence.

"You've had no luck with his computer?" Eberts asked, looking ready to duck if she even twitched in his direction.

"Very little.  The encryption is... amazing to put it mildly.  I'll break it eventually, but it's going to take me a few days," she admitted with only a touch of reluctance.

"Do you require more processing power?"

She shook her head.  "I'd need to borrow an NSA system and it would still take time."

Eberts whistled, the Official looked bored.

"I would suggest you continue to work on it then," the Official suggested, sounding smug.

"Really?  I thought it might go faster if I just walked away and let it sit on a table by itself."

"The sarcasm is unnecessary."

"No, it's not, as it seems to be the only thing getting through to you."  Alyx glanced over at her partners and then left the room fuming.

Darien sighed heavily then leveled a steely glare on his boss and jail warden.  "Why are you dragging this whole thing out?"

The Official huffed and leaned back in his chair.  "I am doing nothing of the sort.  Arnaud isn't required to solve the issue.  Kevin will have the resources he needs to complete his task and that does not include Mr. De Ferhn."

Darien looked over at Hobbes, who shrugged, not understanding their boss any more than Darien. 

"But if we could get the info and a confession we could go ahead prosecute him," Hobbes pointed out, ready to grasp at any straw in order to get the information they need from the man.

The Official smiled broadly.  "All in good time.  Now, I suggest you get to work."  A clear dismissal if ever there was one.

Darien managed to not a say word until well after they were out the door and down the hall.  "I call bullshit."

"Yeah, something sure as hell stinks.  Just wish we had a clue what," Hobbes added in agreement.

"Let's find Alyx before she tears someone a new one.  Maybe we can convince Arnie to do the right thing in exchange for a massage," Darien suggested sourly.  "I just don't get why he's pampering the bastard.  You'd think he'd be fighting with me to be first in line to string him up by his thumbs and beat some answers out of him."

"Could the 'Fish already have the answers?" Hobbes wondered aloud.

Darien found that to be an interesting observation.  "Or thinks someone else does."

"Who?  Kevin?"

Darien shook his head.  "No, not Kevin."  Not Claire either, he was certain, but Alyx... Alyx with that incredible mind of hers that had been fed reams of data while Heilberg had been giving her superpowers.  Some of which she was only subconsciously aware of. 

"You think the kid knows how to fix the gland?" Hobbes asked in surprise.  "That makes no sense."

Darien agreed.  "I'm not saying she knows she knows, but the 'Fish has been pushing her awfully hard lately."

" 'So give me another option'," Hobbes muttered.

Darien's eyebrows went up questioningly.

"What the boss said to her that morning, remember?  'So give me another option.' "

Darien did remember, but had no more idea now than he had then of what it meant.  Could she have done it?  Solved the removal issue and not told anyone?  Could she... would she keep that from him?  That would suck, to put it mildly, and he would feel betrayed beyond measure.  Unless...  Unless she had a damn good reason, and she might.  He would ask her, but part of him didn’t want to know the answer.  Not right now.  It would be too much to handle on top of Kevin being here, and knowing the Keep and Kevin had known each other long before she'd come to the Agency and... and just everything.  It was shocking to realize that he could still function with all the shit going on in his life at the moment.

"What could Alyx possibly do on her own that the Keep couldn't?"

Hobbes snorted.  "I wouldn’t put nothing past the kid, especially when she puts her mind to doing something she wants."

"Hobbes--"

"Fawkes, if it was something we needed to know, she'd tell us, I am certain of that.  A'course the 'Fish could just be yanking her, and our, chains to keep us off balance."

Darien had to admit that Bobby could be right on that score, but had the eerie feeling that something else was going on.  Alyx wouldn’t be getting so frustrated with the boss' sly comments otherwise.  Question was: did it matter?  Should he ask her and quite possibly piss her off more or just shut up and soldier?  Always a tough choice.  He'd never been one for following the rules, but asking her could very well greatly lower his chances at sex later.  Sex won out... this time.

"Here's hoping," Darien agreed in all seriousness. 

 


	10. Chapter 10

They made their way downstairs, heading for that cell where Arnaud currently resided. Alyx was in the hallway, wise enough to not go in on her own after what had happened the other day, chatting amicably with Peterson and Smith, who were playing guard dogs today. Security had been upped, but only by putting the building and all it's employees on a higher alert status. There really wasn't much else to do, no more warm bodies to throw at the problem and the security system would get no better than it already was. They'd keep him locked up or he'd escape, there wasn't exactly a middle road to wander down this time.

"Hey, you, everything copacetic?" Darien set a hand on her back, to gauge her mood. She'd calmed down since storming out of the Official's office, but was on edge knowing the risks of her alter egos coming out to play while in with Arnaud. His presence should help keep her in control, but that was not a guarantee. Then again, turning her alts on him, might get him to cough up more info. He certainly still sported the burns from the last time... At least the last time he'd been along anyway. He was pretty sure they'd questioned Arnie some more while Kevin had been here.

"Yep, just waiting on the two of youse before heading in."

Darien reached into his pocket and handed her the pair of twenties, much to Hobbes' dismay, but she had been right, the Official had shot them down, and without a satisfying explanation as to why.

Hobbes sighed as he watched the money exchange hands. "Good plan, kid. He'll answer more questions while alive."

She frowned. "I doubt that." Computer in hand she led the way into the room that held the lone cell and it's lone occupant. "Morning, Arnie."

"Mon petite, still having problems with my computer I see." Arnaud didn't move, just closed the magazine, and set it aside next to him on the bed.

She opened the laptop and after pressing a selection of keys, spun it around. "Well, yes, actually. The adaptive algorithm you've created is quite excellent, I will admit, but I'll get through it eventually."

"Yes, I am quite certain you will, but will it be in time to do you any good is the question," Arnaud stated, his usual irritating and smarmy self. Why was it the man oozed confidence even when behind bars? They should have the upper hand and yet didn't.

It was time to change that. "Want us to call Huisclos for you, maybe let him know you'll be joining him soon?"

Alyx smiled at that, while Hobbes shook his head. Yeah, a cheap shot maybe, but one Darien was more than willing to take if it got them the data they wanted.

Arnaud winced, but kept the smile on his face. "Have you no better tactics?"

"We could get the shock sticks, I s'pose," Hobbes suggested.

"Why waste the power when I can do the same thing and at a much higher charge." Alyx cocked her head to the side, computer still balanced in her hands. "You know the files we're interested in, just need the password for those."

"Certainly, as soon as you grant me immunity," Arnaud countered with.

"And that ain't gonna happen, pal,' Hobbes growled.

"Then, pal, your passwords ain't gonna happen," Arnie mimicked, causing Hobbes to glare icily at him.

Alyx shrugged. "Turn him over to Interpol. Whatever I need is probably on the computer, I just have to get to it." She sniffed in disdain. "Probably take less time than getting him to talk anyway."

"Ah, my dear, giving up so easily are you. I know far more than could ever be stored on a hard drive. For instance, the exact location of the genes for the madness. Are you willing to gamble that that specific information is on there," he waved at the laptop in her hands. "And you used to so love playing games."

Alyx shivered and the atmosphere in the room changed instantly. She carefully closed the laptop and handed it to Bobby, who seemed more confused than anything at her sudden change in tactic.

"Alyx?" Darien questioned in concern. He had the horrible feeling that Arnaud had just bitten off way more than he could chew.

Alyx raised one finger, sparks dancing on the tip, and touched it to the metal bars. The lights in the room dimmed even as the bars lit up along their entire length, electricity arcing across every gap. Hobbes stepped back in surprise and Darien couldn't help a twitch himself. Arnaud's reaction was priceless. He jumped back, slamming forcefully into the concrete wall behind him in a vain effort to get away from the energy now crackling all about him.

"Merde," Arnaud swore, eyes looking more than a touch wild.

"See, I can still play games," Alyx stated in a bored tone, nothing but the one finger touching the metal bars. With seemingly no effort on her part the sparks increased, jumping from the bars to the lights in the cell, but touching nothing else metal in the room, which included the bed Arnaud now stood on, making it very plain that she was in complete control of the electricity and where it went.

"Bitch," Arnaud snarled, flinching away from the trained lightning arcing all about him.

"Kid," Hobbes warned, but Darien shook his head no, causing his partner to frown.

"What do you really want, Arnie? Immunity, or for your visibility to remain under your control?" Darien smiled at the sudden realization that flooded his nemesis' countenance. No longer smug and self confident, but truly terrified. "Your heart rate has got to be at one hundred at least. At what point do you go see-through? One-twenty? The way you're looking you must be damn close, and I have the feeling your control is not nearly as good as mine."

"Fawkes, you wouldn't," Arnaud squawked, then as if realizing he was simply working himself up more, forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down, if only slightly.

Hobbes grabbed Darien by the arm and dragged him down to growl in his ear. "Didn't the boss say to  _not_  use this tactic?"

"Boss said to not intentionally try to turn him invisible. Looks to me like Alyx is simply using some creative shock therapy, if him going invisible is a side effect that's not really our fault is it?"

"You two cook this up on the way down?"

"Nope, just taking advantage of the situation," Darien told him honestly. Might Alyx have decided to use this tactic all on her own? Yep. But she most certainly hadn't discussed it with anyone.

Arnaud's shout of, "You bitch," got the two agents to focus on the borderline torture going on behind them. Darien had to admit he found it interesting that aside from stepping back from the bars, neither he nor Hobbes had any concerns about being zapped accidentally or otherwise. Arnaud, on the other hand, had some serious terror going on right about now. His face had gone white as that proverbial sheet and based on the hair standing up on his head had one too many close calls with electricity winging by him.

"Stop her, you fools," he ordered of them. Peterson and Smith stuck their heads in and determined that everything seemed to be under control and with twin chuckles that bordered on evil stepped back out into the hall.

"What'll you give us to stop her?" Hobbes asked, clearly deciding to see where this road led them.

"Nothing," Arnaud spat.

For that Alyx allowed a tiny trickle of energy to reach out and lick the back of Arnaud's hand who howled in pain all out of proportion to how much it must have hurt. The terror of returning to the state of permanent invisibility causing far more fear than the tiny shock.

"One twenty, Arnie. How much longer till you hit it?" Darien asked in a slightly sneering tone, knowing damn well the man had nearly reached that point. He had to be close. "Maybe a day or two unable to see yourself will change your mind." Darien set a hand on the back of his girl who had not said a word for several long minutes, her concentration on pushing Arnaud to the very edge and possibly over if necessary.

"Dissimulo," he shouted, back flat against the wall and arms outstretched. "Dissimulo," he repeated.

"What was that Arnie?" Hobbes asked, as if they had heard nothing.

"Mon petite chienne. Arreter. I gave you what you wanted, stop damn it." The man sounded hysterical and Darien oddly relished that, which probably made him a horrible person.

He sidled up next to Alyx who seemed to be prepared to do this all day. "He blinked."

She turned her head, her silver eyes glowing with the power she channeled through her. "Verify it first." She turned back to their prisoner. "If he lied he gets a  _real_  zap."

Darien didn't think there was a shade beyond white, but Arnaud managed it, his tan vanishing in the blue-tinted light arcing about him.

"Which file?" Hobbes barked, drawing Arnaud's attention, but not his eyes.

"Three-six-oh-two. And for god's sake do not misspell the word."

Darien laughed, enjoying the discomfiture of his hated enemy.

Hobbes tapped the keys and nodded. "Kid, it works."

"Damn," she complained, but allowed the energy to fade and, after a few moments of eerie sparking, to dissipate.

Arnaud practically collapsed onto the bed, whites of his eyes easily visible, and shuddering uncontrollably as he tried to get his heart rate under control and come back down, before the inevitable occurred. Apparently, he greatly disliked being stuck invisible, so much so he would actually give up hoarded information to keep it from happening ever again.

"Well played," he groused, hugging himself as the adrenaline wore off, leaving him chilled.

Alyx smiled sweetly. "Did you expect anything less from me?"

"Of course not," he stated bitterly. "You've always been a dangerous bitch. That password won't do you much good, it has nothing to do with Quicksilver or the gland."

"Did us plenty of good. You won't last nearly as long next time," she explained, leaning against the bars and allowing a tiny spark to leap from her fingers and towards him.

Arnaud jumped about half a mile and Alyx laughed. "I'll have you well trained in no time at all." And on those words, she turned about and left the room, leaving Arnaud alone with them.

"So, do you want to give us the files we really need, or do you want to play more games with her?" Darien leaned casually against the bars, noting they were still quite warm.

Arnaud actually looked tempted to end it, but found what was left of his backbone after a moment. "Non. I believe I have a few more moves left to me. Is there anything else you want right now?"

Hobbes shook his head. "Nah, this'll keep us amused for a little while, but don't worry, we'll be back."

"Lovely, I'll have tea ready, shall I?" Arnie snarked, regaining his composure quickly now that Alyx was no longer in the room threatening him.

"You do that," Darien agreed heading for the door with Hobbes beside him. Alyx waited down the hall, hands tucked into her pockets. She looked to be struggling with herself. He stopped next to her and rubbed the knuckles of his hand against her cheek, there was a long moment of very vigorous struggle then she settled, his presence allowing her to win the battle with her other personalities. He'd suspected that she'd let one escape back there, but since she'd kept things under control he hadn't worried unduly. Plus it had gotten them one step closer to getting the information they wanted from Arnaud.

He wanted to compliment her on her control, but his headache chose that moment to return with a vengeance, a sudden stabbing pain that began behind his eyes, then radiated out towards the back of his skull. The dimly lit hallway suddenly became far too bright, which made him squint his eyes in discomfort.

"Damn," Alyx said softly and even at that lowered volume the words seemed to thrust themselves against the insides of his skull and just add to the already existing pain.

"What's up?" Hobbes asked in confusion and at normal volume, which caused Darien to groan in reaction.

"Headache," Alyx explained. "Migraine-sized one."

"Ah. Let's get you to the Keep." Hobbes waved down the hall with his free hand, then led the way. Alyx set a hand on Darien's back to get him moving and support him, as his legs seemed to want very little to do with holding him up at the moment.

Claire wasn't in the Keep, so while Alyx got the lights dimmed and Darien settled on the exam chair, Hobbes went looking for her, betting she was off in Lab Three continuing the work she and Kevin had started the day before.

"Alyx, could something be wrong? With the hosting thing?" Darien asked with more than a touch of concern in his tone.

She gave him a wan smile. "Do you want the truth, or a calming white lie?"

Crap. Good damn question and he had no idea which one he truly wanted. "Truth, I suppose."

She gave him a tight nod. "Possibly. Claire's simulations are extrapolations of what  _should_  happen, and the problems are my best guesses."

"Which probably means you are far more accurate than Claire's computer, no matter how much data or how many variables she fed to it." An impressively intense stab above his left ear made him suck in a breath and wince in pain.

Alyx was there in an instant, one hand resting ever so gently against the side of his head. "Easy. Try to relax."

He nodded cautiously, feeling like his head might very well fall off his neck should he tip too far in the wrong direction. Impossible, but he felt decidedly top heavy, which was a rather odd sensation. "I hate this. Always waiting for the next shoe to drop and knowing it might kill me."

"Ah, Dare. I wish there were something more I could do. Sadly, I'm even more fucked up than you are. I can't even stay me for an entire day any more." A bold admission and not what he had expected to hear from her. Usually she simply manned up and dealt with whatever happened. Getting her to talk things out had always been a challenge, but when she finally opened up she did so without reservation, like now, and he knew he was pretty much the only person on the planet, save her brother maybe, that she would talk to about personal issues. She still feared opening up to someone and being hurt, and, in truth, he couldn't blame her. So, he would simply do his best to be there for her and revel in any moment when she allowed him to see inside.

His focus on her got the headache to back off a bit. He could still feel the dull throbbing across the top of his skull and the dimly lit Keep was still far too bright, and he could feel the pain waiting in the background, ready to burst forth and knock him to his knees. Looked like he wouldn't be getting some quality alone time with his girl after all. If the pain got any worse, bed with a cold washcloth on his forehead would be about all he'd be able to handle, though her playing nurse would make it far more tolerable.

The Keep door whooshed open bringing the sound of a worried Hobbes and an irritated Keeper, who apparently did not care to be dragged away from her work for something so minor as a headache, no matter who was suffering with it. Then she came around the glass divider, took one look at Darien, and the irritation vanished to be replaced with honest concern.

"Darien, you look horrid, what have you been doing?" She headed for a drawer and withdrew her stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. "Off with the jacket please."

Darien complied, handing it to Alyx, who hadn't moved an inch. "Nothing, Keepy. Woke up with the headache and its only gotten worse."

"Did you eat today?"

Darien nodded, holding out his arm for the cuff. She quickly pumped the bulb, concentrating on the dial as she pressed the diaphragm of the stethoscope against the crook of his elbow. They all waited for her to finish in silence, only the bubbling of the fish tank to be heard over the escaping air in the cuff.

"A bit high. Any other symptoms?"

"Light and sound sensitivity," Alyx answered for him.

"Migraine symptoms, but you've never had them before," she stated, mostly talking to herself he was quite sure. "Let's do a quick blood test and check your levels, shall we?"

"Might as well." At least she had this down to a science now, a quick finger stick and a few drops into a machine programmed to look for specific chemicals found in his blood and within minutes spitting out the results. Alyx stayed beside him as they waited, staying quiet, not feeling overly worried about anything in particular, but clearly not liking the surprise change any more than he did.

Hobbes paced, muttering about how he should have stopped this, and how this whole hosting thing was going to kill his partner and on and on. Alyx met Darien's eyes then walked over to Bobby, setting a hand on his shoulder, which got him to stop for a moment. "Bobby, you need to calm down. Darien is fine for now and we don't know for certain this has anything to do with the gland. It could just be a headache."

"Of course it has something to do with the gland, it always does," Hobbes grouched then sucked in a deep breath. "And before you ask, yeah, I've taking my pills. This whole mess ain't been easy on me either you know."

"Bobby, we haven't suggested it has been," Claire said for all of them as she waited impatiently for the results to appear on the screen, one foot tapping lightly on the floor. "We are all under an enormous amount of stress, we just need to work together to get through it," She turned to meet Bobby's worried gaze, "all right?"

He glowered at her seeming effort to placate him. "What do you think we are, the three musketeers?"

"Mouseketeers is more like it," Darien countered, getting a snort of amusement from his friend. "It'll work out, it always does."

"Fawkes, I let you walk right into this like an idiot. I should have—"

"Hobbes, I'm a big boy and made my own decision. You don't get to blame yourself for that." Darien shifted, drawing his knees up to rest his feet on the edge of the seat. His head pounded, but he refused to let Hobbes carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. At the time it seemed to be the best decision for everyone. The fact that they now knew that to not be true made no difference. And, if given the same set of circumstances, Darien couldn't say he wouldn't do the exact same thing. Doing what he could to rescue Claire would  _never_  be the wrong thing.

"Fawkes," Hobbes whined only to be shushed by Claire.

"He's a grown man, Bobby, and can take responsibility for his own actions. That said, there was most certainly a substantial risk that went along with this decision that I suspect you were not fully apprised of." Claire tapped her finger on the top of machine as if she could make it process the sample faster just by force of will. That would not work for her, but if Alyx intervened it could conceivably happen. One thing Alyx could do was persuade machines to work at better than capacity.

"Damn. Any chance of a painkiller, Keep?" He laced his fingers behind his neck, trying to ease the pain without any real success.

"Not until I have some idea of the cause, I'm afraid," Claire responded trying to sound conciliatory, but that didn't exactly help with the discomfort.

"Typical," he muttered, closing his eyes, then felt hands on his, moving his away and tracing so lightly along his neck that it damn near tickled. He sighed, knowing it was Alyx beside him, trying to relieve some of the discomfort. She got him to shift position, leaning the seat back so that he was partially reclined. Taking his left hand into both of hers she began to gently massage sections, pressing firmly into the muscles and tendons. Acupressure, a trick he'd picked up to help her with the headaches she got when overusing her abilities. He hadn't realized she'd learned the technique as well. Silly of him to think that, but there were times he failed to recall her memory was on the level of super human. After a few minutes of trial and error she hit on the right combination of pressure points and he felt the headache fade back to a more manageable level.

"Better?" she asked, keeping her voice soft, which was a good idea as he had the feeling the sensitivity had only paused and not fled completely.

"Yeah. Thanks," he responded opening his eyes to see everyone gathered about him with matching looks of concern. "What?"

"You turned a scary shade of white there, my friend," Bobby answered without preamble.

Darien turned to Alyx who nodded. "This is not a migraine, not in the traditional sense anyway." She turned to Claire. "The test results?"

"Normal, mostly, you're inhibitor level is very low." Claire walked about to look at Darien's right wrist, sliding the watchband out of the way. "You have one segment red. Have you used any Quicksilver?"

Darien shook his head, but stopped quickly as nausea threatened. "Not a drop. I just assumed Kevin had."

Claire frowned. "Not that I'm aware of. Jennings is supposed to be watching your levels to free me up to work with Kevin, but clearly he hasn't a clue what he is doing."

"The headache is from the inhibitor… the lack of it, I mean?" Hobbes asked scratching his head, but looking relieved the answer was so simple.

"No," Alyx answered. "It's designed to not be addictive in any way. Going off it simply returns the gland to normal production, no more. No, this is not because of the inhibitor." She did not look happy and clearly wanted to figure out what was going on as much as he did.

"I concur," Claire added. "I will give you the option of an inhibitor shot. Sadly, it will not do anything for your headache and there is a slight risk it may make it worse."

Darien took a moment to think about that. It wasn't a huge deal if he went without the inhibitor, like Alyx had said, he'd simply go back to weekly Counteragent shots for a while. A pain in the ass, but that could be dealt with, if needed. It wasn't really necessary at this time though, and might just interfere with Kevin's work should he have to interrupt his train of thought just for another stupid shot. "I'll take the risk. No need to risk Kevin going red-eye at an inconvenient moment."

Claire shook her head. "This is not about Kevin, this is about you," she told him as she went to gather the necessary items. She returned with all she needed. As she shifted his shirtsleeve up to wrap the tourniquet about his biceps she asked, "What is this?"

"Uh, what is what?" he questioned twisting about to see what she'd found. It wasn't much, just a tiny spot and bruise on his upper arm. "I have no idea," he answered, not having any idea when it had happened. Hell, he hadn't even noticed it when showering just a couple hours ago.

"This is from an injection," Claire stated, tone angry. "Let me a get a real blood sample before I give you the inhibitor. I want to run a full tox screen, just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Darien questioned, trying like hell to contain the sudden rush of fear inspired adrenaline that flooded through him. "Shit," he muttered as he felt a trickle of chill slide down his spine. He would not Quicksilver now, damn it.

Alyx growled and stalked away and a moment later they all heard the distinctive swoosh of the Keep door opening.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Hobbes followed after her, just as curious as the rest of them.

Claire brought over the sharp pointy things as well as several test tubes that she carefully marked and finally got the rubber tubing wrapped about his upper arm, getting those veins in the center of his elbow to stand up at attention.

"I'm making certain Jennings can't get back in here… ever again," she responded, her tone dark as tar. She was well and truly pissed.

"Alyx, you can't be certain it was Jennings," Claire said as she popped the first vial into place.

"Well, I didn't do it, you didn't do it and unless Kevin has been experimenting on himself, which I hope he wouldn't do with Arnaud the prime example of stupidity in the building, that only leaves Jennings. You know, the Official's toady?" Alyx then stalked over to the computers, one of which connected to the world at large via a secure line, the other, which was separate from everything except the mainframe, on which it was backed up nightly. Both lit up and reams of data began to scroll across the screens. Darien had known she was good with computers, but had never see her work two different ones at once. "Where's he storing his data?"

Claire had filled three vials, setting them aside on the mayo cart she'd rolled over, and pulled out the thingy that had actually poked the hole into his arm. Before he could even move, she swiftly injected the inhibitor into him, actually hitting the same spot with remarkable precision and little discomfort. Once done, she removed the tubing and placed a cotton ball over the lightly bleeding entry wound. He still had a headache, but had far more worrisome things on his mind, like what kind of Mickey had Jennings managed to slip Kevin yesterday.

"I have no idea, Alyx. It should be on the system somewhere," Claire answered as she put away the vials of blood and equipment.

"There's nothing here. Some placeholder files, but there is no data in them, not even an echo. It's like he's just using the processing power of the system," Alyx growled and slid out of the system looking frustrated.

"Could he be using an external hard drive for his data?" Hobbes suggested. "I've seen him with a box about yay big." He used his hands to show the approximate size. "Had what could have been lights and assorted inputs on one side."

"Shit," Alyx muttered. "Sure sounds like an external drive to me." She turned back to the computers and after a couple more minutes of searching found the evidence she'd been looking for. "Yeah, he's using a portable drive. I can see its echo, but there are no files on this system. Whatever encryption program he's using is wiping the evidence when he logs out."

"What does that mean?" Hobbes asked.

"It means she can't find out what he's been up to without the hard drive," Darien answered, apparently far too astutely for anyone's comfort at the moment. He ignored the looks of concern aimed in his direction and moved back to the other subject. "Keep, did Kev mention anything about this to you?" Meaning the injection, of course

She shook her head. "Not at all, but he had been working for several hours when we got there. He may very well forgotten it as unimportant."

"Great, just great," Darien groused. "How long on those results?"

" A few hours," she told him. "How's the pain?"

"Wrecking ball to the forebrain," Darien answered honestly.

"All right, you are done for the day. Even if the Official has something for you to do there would be no way you could function effectively. In fact, could you Quicksilver for me? Just your hand will be fine."

Darien didn't like the sound of that, especially since they had no idea what he'd been stuck with the day before. Making certain the gland still functioned correctly was probably a good idea. Not that he was too concerned given his very recent brush with involuntary invisibility. He concentrated and just like always the Quicksilver oozed out of his pores, coated his hand like a liquid glove and then vanished from sight, making him look like an amputee. "Looks and feels fine from here," he slurred much to his surprise.

"Drop it, D," Alyx said worriedly.

He did as requested, the headache increasing markedly once the task had been completed. One hand went to his forehead even though he knew it would be useless at easing the pain. And pain it was; his head one huge throbbing mass of misery.

"I am so going to kill Jennings, then follow up with some serious injury to the Official. Maybe sideswipe Eberts along the way, as there's no chance he wasn't aware of what was going on." Alyx snarled, her bright violent anger like a laser burning into his brain, which just added to all the fun going on in there already. He moaned and sat back, trying to relax and just let the waves of hurt wash over him instead of carrying him away on the violent tide.

"Kid, if you kill him you can't question him," Hobbes pointed out far too amicably for Darien's taste, then he saw the murderous look in his partner's eyes and knew he wanted to visit his own flavor of retribution on the good doctor.

"Down, both of you," Claire admonished. "I will speak to the Official and explain that Darien is no longer in any condition to work due to the hosting. Perhaps he will let something slip that will allow to discover what has actually been done."

A good plan, even Darien had to admit that, but one he felt certain would go without success. The Official could obfuscate with the best of them and would do so if it would further his goals. Darien just wished he had a clue what the goal was this time; he might actually be willing to assist instead of being tortured for the amusement of the masses.

"He won't tell you shit. This was part of his plan all along," Alyx groused, looking ready to spit nails, at the Official no less. And god alone knew if she actually could perform that little trick. Shit, his brain must be fried if he could picture her literally spitting nails with deadly accuracy at people.

Still, her anger wasn't helping him any at the moment. He needed her to calm down or he'd be passing out mere hours after waking and then Kevin would get the joy of experiencing this headache, which Darien kind of wouldn't mind if it wasn't for the whole losing his turn driving the bus thing. "Alyx, baby, could you put the anger away for later please?" He knew he was whimpering, but couldn't seem to help it at this point.

Alyx snapped her head about, a snark of vicious proportions on her tongue, but she swallowed it down instantly. Clearly, her violent emotions had blocked his state of mind, or pain if you'd rather, and only now that she was looking at him had she realized he was going downhill and fast. She was at his side in three quick strides. "Sorry, D. Let's see if I can help."

"Oh, yes please," he practically begged, his head pounding so badly it hurt to think. She set delicate fingers on his face, reminding him of that Vulcan Mind Meld thing Spock would do on the original Trek series, only instead of making their minds one, which she didn't need to do as he already lived in the back of her head, she gently slipped in and did what she could to ease the overwhelming, aching pressure in his brain. It felt like his skull wanted to crack and split apart in order to ease the strain. It took a several minutes that felt like eternities to him, but the pain eased to a not quite dull ache that encompassed his entire head. "Better," he informed them once she had slid back out.

"Nasty," she stated, shaking her head as if to clear the echoes she must surely be feeling away. "Started in the front of your head, then spread back, yes?"

He twisted his head a touch too sharply, his vision not keeping up with the movement and causing the world to first slip past blurrily then snap into place suddenly. It had a less thrilling side effect that was very similar to carsickness; his stomach heaving and debating making him dive for the nearest receptacle to expel the little he had eaten that morning. He slapped a hand over his mouth and swallowed several times quickly. Alyx turned an interesting shade of green for a moment as she caught the edges of his suffering, but got herself under control quickly.

He breathed, slow and deep, until the worst of the nausea had passed. "Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

She turned to Claire. "Pineal to Quicksilver. Jennings did something to affect both, or the connection between them."

"Bloody hell," Claire grumbled.

"Keep, what does that mean?" Hobbes asked, walking over towards the chair a frown adorning his features.

"Nothing good, Bobby, that's for certain. However, until I can identify the chemical used, there's little I can do except make Darien comfortable." She joined them, all gathered around Darien who really wished he hadn't become focus of their concern, but he hadn't been given a choice this time around. No Jennings had convinced Kevin needed the shot for some reason and then slipped him the one the Official really wanted. Question was what had it done to him… them.

"And by comfortable you mean pain killers, right?" Darien was definitely in the mood to not be in pain any longer.

"Yes, Darien. We just need to figure out one that will ease your discomfort without knocking you out," Claire explained moving towards the cabinet with the high-end pharmaceuticals in it.

"Oh, right. Damn it." The last thing he wanted was to take a nap only to have Kevin wake up a couple hours later. Not exactly fair. "Will Kevin have the headache too?"

Claire turned about, brows knit together in serious thought. "I honestly don't know. He can feel things, obviously, but I have no idea exactly how far that control goes." She turned to look at Alyx. "Have you done any computations on it?"

Alyx nodded. "A few," she turned to look at Bobby, "and not just the worst-case scenario ones. The one thing they all agree on is the longer Kevin remains in control the less likely he can be removed safely." She shrugged. "Sorry guys, but that's the way this one plays out, and there's no way to know when that go/no go point occurs." She turned back to Darien. "It may already be too late."

Darien sighed. "I kind of figured that." He reached for her hand and twined their fingers together. "Thanks for telling me the truth. So, how long till my brain oozes out of my ears?"

"Never, if I have any say about it. I plan on getting to work on the anti-peptide shot this afternoon, if your condition does not improve I will use it." Claire didn't even pretend to prevaricate, she meant every word and Darien appreciated it more than she would ever realize, but he also knew that until the Official had gotten what he wanted from Kevin, his brother would not be leaving, even if it meant Darien had to suffer. "Alyx, can I get your opinion on a pain medication?"

"Sure." She squeezed Darien's hand then freed herself from his grip to join the Keeper at the cabinet.

Hobbes sidled up beside him. "You'll be fine, Fawkes. Watch, in a couple days you'll wake up, your bro will have solved all the problems and be ready to vacate your premises, and then everything will get back to normal."

Darien snorted, regretting it instantly as new and even less fun pain shot through his head. "Normal? What the hell is normal about this life?"

Hobbes sighed. "It ain't that bad is it?"

Darien shook his head. "Could be worse I suppose. Just not the best discussion to have with my head trying to split itself in two. Ladies, have we come up with a plan?"

"Perhaps," Claire said, turning about with several vials in her hands. "We could try Demerol, which would take the edge off, but probably put you to sleep."

"What else?" Darien prompted, not wanting to fall asleep just yet.

"Morphine," Claire said holding up choice number two. "Should relieve the worst of the pain, but might very well make you nauseous."

"Too late on that score," Darien told them, which caused Claire and Alyx to look at each other.

"There is a third option, but…" Alyx trailed off when Claire glared at her.

"Keep, what's the problem? Is it dangerous or something?" Hobbes asked, plainly just wanting his friend to not be in pain.

"No, it was designed for Alyx," Claire explained, shoulders relaxing slightly now that the truth was out, as if she expected Darien to shy away from any drug that had been created for Alyx.

"And it won't work for me?" Darien asked, doubting that if Alyx suggested it as an option.

"It should work just fine," Alyx answered. "She's concerned about dosage is all."

"But don't most of the drugs you take knock you out?" Hobbes asked, and given that is what usually happened was a most astute question.

"Most, but not this one. I don't get headaches just from overuse, I get them simply because I can't filter out all the emotions I pick up. And there are occasions I need to be able to ease the pain and still be functional. So I created a drug that will allow me to do that." She faced Darien directly. "There is no reason it shouldn't do the same for you."

"Keep, will it hurt the gland?"

Claire shook her head. "Not in the least, but I also cannot guarantee it will work for you as well as it does for Alyx."

Darien took a few minutes to consider his options, but in the end he trusted Alyx without reservation and wanted to remain conscious and in control of his body for a few hours yet. "I'm willing to try Alyx's creation if you say it's okay," he said to Claire who ran a hand through her hair, but nodded.

"Take the morphine along as well in case hers doesn't work as well as hoped."

"Yes, ma'am." He slid slowly off the chair, Alyx coming to his side to support him, which turned out to be a good idea as he felt oddly disconnected from his legs and wasn't too certain he could walk any distance.

"Let's get you home, bub. I'll get you all tucked in and then make you some of my pea soup."

Hobbes whimpered. "If I have a headache do I get some of your soup too?"

Alyx chuckled. "I'll make a big batch. I'm certain Claire will want to check on him, you can escort her over around dinner time and you can join us."

"An excellent plan, Alyx. We'll stop by around five thirty to see how he's doing."

"I am still right here, y'know," Darien complained, but without much energy. He only hoped the pain meds would knock back the nausea some or the last thing he'd be doing was eating anything, never mind her soup. Which would be a crying shame, as her split pea soup was beyond fantastic.

"We know, bub, I promise you that," Alyx assured him, wrapping her arm more snugly about his waist. "Let's get you home."

"Yeah, good idea."

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

Darien sat on his bed in a comfortable pair of sweats and a t-shirt, a dozen pillows tucked about him, the remotes and a glass of water within easy reach on the nightstand. Alyx had already shifted the room about so he could watch the TV with ease, or listen to music, or neither should he so choose. At the moment he chose to sit like a lump, his head a throbbing mass of pain that would spike like a nail driven into his skull at random moments, making him want to whimper in misery and curl up in a fetal position. This was not how he wanted to spend the afternoon at home with Alyx, but he was barely able to remain upright – lying down had made the pain so very much worse for some reason – so anything fun with the redhead playing with syringes and vials on the pool table was very much out of the question.

"Sweet thing, what are you doing?"

"Calculating the amount of meds you need," she responded her eyes not leaving her laptop screen. Next to it sat Arnaud's. She planned on digging into those files the password had opened up while taking care of Darien. "I really don't want to overdose you by accident, especially since I don't have any of the counter on hand."

"Ah. Why'd you make it anyway?" His tongue felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, which made speaking an interesting challenge at the moment. He suspected she understood what he was saying more because she was listening in on his mind than from hearing the actual words.

"Because I got tired of knocking myself out every time I overdid it."

Oh, now that was interesting indeed. "Wait. This works for your overuse headaches?"

She glanced back at him over her shoulder with a grin on her face. "Yep. Though not nearly as well." She turned back to the computer screen. "This one is just a stepping stone for a bigger project."

"What kind of project?" Darien knew she did all kinds of stuff on her own, but usually didn't ask about it, mostly because he would get lost in the technical jargon… at least that's what he told himself. With the tidbit she'd just dropped into his lap he realized that maybe he didn't ask because he didn't want to feel the need to hide what she did from everyone else. Claire had obviously not been in on the design, perhaps not even the production of this particular drug, and Alyx clearly did not intend to share her toys without good reason. Darien didn't ask, because he did not want to be forced to tell.

Alyx had every right to her own life and he would make every effort to honor that. Just as she did for him.

"Alyx, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I know. I hope to use this drug as the basis for a much better one, one tied directly to the pain endorphins of the user, which would allow the body to block pain in a far more natural way than current drugs do. If I'm right it could even be catered to the specific DNA of the affected person, unique to them and therefore completely effective and without the risk of developing a tolerance over the course of long-term use."

Darien closed his eyes for a long moment, certain he had misheard her. "Let me get this straight, you, all by your lonesome, are trying to dump the entire pharmaceutical industry on its ass? Do you really have that much spare time?"

Alyx laughed softly. "Apparently. If this drug here works for you, and I am completely certain it will, it'll prove I'm on the right track."

"Do you know how amazing you are?" he said softly with no little awe in his voice.

"Me? There's nothing special about me," she stated and sounding like she meant it. "Ah, got it." She straightened and turned about, vial and syringe in hand. She came towards him and settled delicately on the edge of the bed. "I'm going to start with a lower dose as a precaution, we can always increase it later if you are still feeling uncomfortable."

He lifted his hand, not liking how much effort and concentration it took, liking even less how much it shook as he moved to set it on her arm. "You are the most amazing person I have ever met," he told her with all due seriousness.

She snorted. "You're just saying that because I'm about to make you feel better."

He shook his head, but stopped quickly when the room began to spin about him in an alarming manner. "No, I—"

Fingers on his lips, she stopped the words before they had a chance to escape. "Argue after I've stuck you with the pointy thing, okay?"

He nodded cautiously and watched as she efficiently wrapped his upper arm with the rubber tourniquet. She pushed the syringe into the vial of clear liquid, withdrew a measured amount, and neatly aspirated the syringe. "You ready?"

"Yes," he said, trusting her completely.

She gently slid the needle into the prominent vein in his elbow and injected the contents. Once the needle had been removed she undid the tubing and set everything aside. "This should work fairly quickly. Let me know if anything feels off."

Quickly was putting it mildly, there was a cool rush up his arm and across his chest then the pain vanished, like an eraser across a chalkboard, leaving just a thin film of colored dust behind. He knew the pain was still there, but it was as if a very firm sheet of glass had been placed between him and it. He felt better and then some, not right, he could still feel that everything felt off in his head, but almost normal again. "Wow."

"D?" Alyx asked, worry etched on her features.

"I'm fine, I think. A little high maybe, but good."

She laughed. "You're actually hyper-aware, not high, but it probably feels similar to you. Just relax and don't fight it, it shouldn't last very long."

Christ, she wasn't kidding. Everything was sharp and clear and crisp and weird to put it mildly. But the pain was gone, he'd take an odd side effect or two, especially if it allowed him to stay awake instead of passing out. However, his body still felt leaden and oddly disconnected from his mind. "Why do I feel like I'm trapped in the event horizon of a singularity?"

She blinked. "That I don't know. Did you feel that way before the meds?"

He nodded, noting the room was beginning to lose the sharpness, the effect wearing off already just as she had predicted. "Does the medication affect neurotransmitter function?"

"Not specifically. It targets the pain receptors in the brain, for me that does indeed cause a blockage of my neurotransmitters." She paused, clearly thinking how that might affect someone lacking her high state of neurotransmitter function. "Ah, it should only be temporary. The Quicksilver gland caused your brain to increase the number of neurotransmitters you use to accommodate the functionality, and when the pineal joined the fun, another increase almost surely occurred. Since the headache is being caused by the two of them ganging up on you, blocking the pain is reapportioning those neurotransmitters for your use."

Darien nodded. "Freeing them up for thinking, instead of Quicksilvering."

"Exactly," she agreed. "It won't last," she informed him.

"No it won't," he said. "Would you prefer it did?"

"Would you?" she responded with. "Darien, you are no smarter now than you were prior to the drug, it's just allowing you to process a bit faster, and it most certainly hasn't changed who you are. And, in case you have forgotten, I like who you are." She leaned over and kissed him lightly, allowing him to decide whether or not to take it any further.

He decided yes, but his body didn't want to seem to cooperate, the lack of pain not affecting his lack of energy in the least. He pulled back, fear creeping in, and no matter how interesting having his brain running at warp speed was, it still didn't solve the real problem: his mind trying to melt down thanks to a mystery substance he'd been injected with some time yesterday when his brother had been in control. "Why do I feel weak as a kitten?"

"I wish I knew," she said, looking concerned. "Give the drug a chance to work, maybe… maybe…"

"Jennings did something to me, you need to find out what."

"I will," she assured him. "I have to run out and pick up what we need for dinner, will you be okay while I'm gone?"

He gave himself a real assessment and determined the answer was a probable yes, but thought it might be best to wait a few minutes before being left alone. "Probably, but think you can wait thirty minutes? I want to spend some time with you before you start getting all busy with the distractions."

"Of course. Is there anything specific you want me to do?"

Several ideas wafted through his mind, all of them involving a lack of clothing and far more energy than he could possibly drum up at the moment. With a soft sigh he shook his head. "Lots of things, but sadly I am so not up for them right now, so how about some serious cuddling and then you can show me how to use that video recording thingy on my bro's computer. I want to give him a head's up on what's going on."

She shifted to sit beside him, leaning over to kiss him under his ear, causing him to suck in a breath in surprise, his body definitely sitting up and taking interest in the proceedings and to hell with the feeling like some alien thing trying to take over his body and mind. "Quality cuddling, yes?"

He shifted cupping her face with one hand, "Oh hell yes." His lips found hers and he allowed himself to be swept away, more than willing to let her to do whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted even if it meant dinner would be a late night affair.

 

~^~

 

Alyx had kept him amused all afternoon and even with her being distracted with work and cooking and showing him how to use the computer it had been wonderful. He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed just spending time with her doing ordinary things and, not for the first time, wondered how their life might have been had they met as regular, normal people. Him being a thief still and her being whatever she'd been before getting married and allowing that to be the focus of her life; something to do with computers he imagined. Yeah, he could have picked something more mundane and boring for his life, but chose to be realistic, he would have been a thief no matter what and given it had never bothered her in this reality, it probably wouldn't have in his fantasy one, so why not go ahead and play the roles and see where they led. The two of them just fit and he couldn't imagine them not ending up together once they had met. Though how that meeting might have happened when living across the country from each other, he had no idea. But it was far from impossible given they had met years ago as kids thanks to her parents knowing his uncle and them requesting his help when she'd come down ill and they'd had no idea how to help her.

Life would have been both simpler and far more complex had they hooked up later in life and part of him wished that was their life, but instead they were here a the Agency, their lives, sometimes quite literally in the hands of the Official, a man with his own motives and the willingness to use them as little more than pawns… sacrificial pawns at that. He greatly feared that he would be sacrificed for the sake of Kevin the Great and he would be relegated to the position of memory… one that most would forget quickly and with little remorse.

He made certain to mention none of this to Alyx, kept those musings solely to himself, as he did not want to worry her any more than she already was. She had enough on her plate, trying to solve all the problems in front of them and keep herself in one, slightly damaged piece. She was so strong, so brave, so fearless most days, yet still relied on him to help keep her together. It was one hell of a responsibility, especially for someone who made very effort to eschew such cumbrances on his life, but one he shouldered gladly. She made it more than worth it, made him believe he was worth it and that, more than anything else she did, was why he wanted her in his life.

Dinner took place at six-thirty; roughly an hour after Bobby and Claire had arrived together bringing wine and crusty French bread to dip into the outrageously thick soup. Her recipe was disgustingly simple – he had made it a time or two himself – but always left them groaning in pleasure as if a feast fit for a king.

Claire had given him a detailed examination and taken notes on his reaction to the drug, finding his initial response to it interesting, but not worrying. While Alyx gave Claire no details as to her plan for this particular medication she'd created she also held nothing back as to her observations of Darien's reactions. Overall Claire had decried it a success, but would undoubtedly keep in in reserve for use for him. It was rare he felt such extreme pain and, in general, the normal range of high quality pharmaceuticals would work for him just fine and dandy, only the fact that they wanted him to remain conscious allowed Claire to take the risk of a complication.

He knew Alyx wouldn't allow that to happen, and none of the reactions he'd had were out of the ordinary in her experience. They were just odd for one without her gifts and used to seeing reality in far more detail than the vast majority of the population.

She had shooed their friends out just after ten p.m., everything already cleaned up thanks to a group effort, the leftovers stored away for tomorrow or whenever. If Kevin were as smart as he thought he was he would not let the food go to waste. She wrote up reheating instructions and taped them to the glass-fronted fridge just in case. Darien wasn't certain how skilled Kevin was at cooking given his preference for peanut butter and bologna sandwiches when working, but doubted he'd ever taken the time to learn anything other than the basics. Darien enjoyed cooking, he just didn't bother most of the time.

The drug had worked remarkably well for him, keeping him distanced from the pain, however, the deleterious lack of energy and feeling of being disconnected from his body had remained. It didn't hurt precisely, but left him uncoordinated and stumbling about the apartment every time he got up. Claire had been concerned it was a side effect of the medication, but Darien kept insisting he'd felt like that  _before_  the meds Alyx had provided. With the pain diffused the lethargy simply became more pronounced. Darien felt as if he were draining away and feared what he would be replaced with once the process had been completed. Oh, he knew the answer, as there could only be one, and he hated it.

Could he see the Official doing it? Hell yes.

Darien just wished he understood why. He hadn't been that horrible an employee, had he? He'd done a lot of good work in the time he'd been with the Agency, even if he'd fought the hold on his leash constantly. He didn't want to go, not like this, but as the Official was often wont to tell him, the Quicksilver gland was Agency property to be used as he saw fit and Darien was nothing more than the receptacle and could be replaced.

He sighed softly. He didn't want to be replaced.

Alyx's love of worst-case scenarios had apparently rubbed off on him. Either that, or Hobbes' terminal paranoia.

He didn't want to burden Alyx with his realization; she was messed up enough as it was and it wouldn't make any difference in the long run. He would still be gone and she would simply be that much angrier. And he didn't want her angry, not right now. The Official might very well have made a serious tactical error, for without him around to help regulate Alyx's personalities she would start switching at random and even if the Official was using this ploy to gain access to Alyx's alters it would most certainly blow up in his face because at the moment she had no control over them and that was very much not a good thing. Claire would end up drugging her and calling Mike back in to try and put her back together and Darien had serious concerns if that would even be possible should Alyx's mind split apart again. There might be no way to control her or hold her, and her free to do as she wished and no one to answer to with a collection of super-spy personalities running loose in her head was a terrifying thought indeed.

Talk about worst-case scenarios. She could take over the world in a short amount of time and aside from a bullet to the brain (Which, let's be real here, she could easily deflect away. How do you stop someone who knows what you are doing from the very moment you make the decision?) there would be nothing and no one to stop her. Add in some of that neurotransmitter enhancing drug and she'd be unstoppable.

Pandora had nothing on Alyx once her lid had been opened.

He looked over at her, sitting at the counter, looking over the, useless to them, files Arnaud had given them the password to. He hadn't lied oddly enough; the files had nothing to do with the gland, but were interesting in that they gave them yet another pie he had his fingers in. He still played supplier for the terrorist community and had many other deals and projects going on at once. Alyx was happily ferreting out all the niggling little details and writing up a report to plop on the Official's desk come morning.

Not that it would make a bit of difference.

"Alyx?"

It took her a second, but she lifted her head. "Uh, yes?"

"Think you can put the work away for now," he requested, hoping she would be willing to set it aside for the night. He had finally given in and needed to record that video before crashing.

"Of course." She pressed a couple of buttons, probably saving the file and then closed the laptop without a moment of hesitation. "You ready to record that video?"

"Yeah," he answered, still not sure what he was going to say to Kev.

She walked over to the desk and grabbed Kevin's laptop, brought it over to the bed and handed it to him. She'd gone over the basics and he'd done a test video to make certain he had it down before Claire and Bobby had arrived. "Thanks."

"Sure. Want me to go find something to do?"

He shook his head. "Nope, want you right here. In fact, I would like you to stay tonight."

She plopped down next to him shaking her head. "Sorry, not gonna wake up with Kevin again. Not really an experience I want to repeat."

Darien rubbed his face with both hands, trying to ignore the fact that both cheeks felt numb. "You can leave before he wakes up. Just… I want you to stay and you  _need_  to. The longer you stay with me, while I'm me, the better off you are going to be tomorrow while I'm doing the zombie thing." He tapped her on the nose with one finger. "And you know it."

As he pulled away she caught the tip of his finger between her teeth for an instant before releasing him. "I know, but how much good will it really do? Gain me an extra twelve hours, maybe, of solid me time."

He'd spent a fair part of the afternoon mulling the situation and had some questions. "How do you keep yourself together when out of town?"

She smiled thinly. "You're making the bold assumption that I do."

He picked up one of her hands and held on tight. "I know you do, else you would have told me. This time around you didn't start having issues until Kev made his appearance, so what was different?"

She sighed softly, lifted their hand to kiss his knuckles. "He's not you," she finally said as if that should explain it all.

"And that means what, exactly?" he questioned, really wanting nothing more than to understand. She was always so very cautious when it came to giving away any part of herself, and he did not blame her after what he had learned about her husband and their life together, but sometimes it made being with her very difficult, thus their recent separation.

"I'm not certain how to explain it." She drew her legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed facing him. "Earlier you said I was amazing – that's how you see me. Kevin, well he doesn't see that." She shook her head. "That stupid connection between us is doing far more harm than good at the moment," she groused, tipping her head down to stare at their hands, or the comforter, Darien couldn't be sure.

He had to agree on that point. "What would happen if the connection were cut off?"

Her head came up slowly, eyes looking haunted. "I… I don't know. I imagine I would suffer the contact withdrawal, just as you do."

"And you'd lose you," he added. Shit, he hadn't realized how deeply that connection had affected her. Good damn thing she liked him or she probably would have gone quite noisily mad by now due to conflicting information. Hell, little wonder she'd eventually broken down and allowed  _them_  to happen. He could only imagine how the pressure from his wants and needs had impacted her every day life. In some ways it must have been a relief when she finally gave in an allowed herself to take that first bold step and admit she cared about him.

"Yeah, I probably would." She turned away and he could feel her need to throw up her hands and stalk away, yet she remained still… for him.

"Not exactly fair to you, is it?" No he hadn't read her mind, but it's how he would have felt in her place.

"No, not really." She turned back to him. "I like the way you see me, I just… I just don't…"

"It's not who you are, or think you are, or who you want to be," he finished knowing that every single one of his answers were correct. And she needed to figure out who she was, needed to  _not_  rely on someone else to hold her together, but thanks to those implanted personas, she had too many options, and to her none of them were truly viable. What he saw in her was the best option available to her, or so she believed.

"So, how should I see you?"

She blinked at him, as if startled by the question. "I wish I knew."

"Ah. A catch twenty-two." He squeezed her hand gently. "Do you know who you don't want to be?"

She cocked her head slightly, looking for the trick in his question. "I think so?"

"Then hold onto that. Don't rely on me. I will always have a biased view of you, even when you are at your worst." He smiled. "Just as you do of me."

She managed a smile in return. "Not the easiest thing to do."

"But not the most difficult either. Being a parent has got to be harder."

"When you are the child, I am quite sure," she parried in a bland tone that made him laugh.

"Hey, not nice." He gave her a gentle shove.

She shoved him back, then leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Decide who I don't want to be and just hold onto that like a lifeline, eh?"

"Yep. Will it be that much of a challenge?"

She shrugged. "My biggest challenge is that I feel how everyone I'm near sees me, be it the Official, Claire, or… Arnaud. I don't know why it's causing so much trouble this time, but it is. If you'll help, I'll figure things out and see if I can hold it together tomorrow. After that… we'll just have to see."

Help? Was she nuts? "Of course I'll help, provided it doesn't require me doing jumping jacks or something equally physical, I feel like crap on toast right now."

She laughed at his phrase even as he brows drew together in clear concern. "We'll fix this, D. I promise."

"You know that's not how the Official has it planned. You weren't supposed to be here, remember?" He hating knowing that was the truth. Alyx may not have screwed up the 'Fish's plans precisely, but had obviously forced his hand. Come tomorrow Darien Fawkes might be no more, permanently replaced with his brother Kevin in order to fulfill some grand plan only the Official knew all the details of. Not fair and not right, but just the way it was and until Darien had some leverage to use against his boss he would never be more than the receptacle.

Sadly, his chances had just run out.

"Perhaps not, but I can guarantee if you go, I go. He won't be able to keep the Agency afloat without me bringing money in."

Darien felt his heart leap into his throat, getting that she meant the words completely and totally, but he couldn't allow her to do that, not risk the deal she had with the Official over… over her boyfriend. When push came to shove her family, her living, breathing, oh so miraculous family were more important than he ever could be. "No, I can't let you do that, your kids—"

"Will be just fine," she insisted, placing a single finger over his lips to silence him. "I have a few contingency plans of my own, bub, you do not ever need to concern yourself with my family."

"But I want to," he blurted out, admitting for what must have been the first time that he considered her children his responsibility even though he'd truly never met any of them.

Alyx looked stunned. "I… thank you." The words were followed up with emotions; tangled and confused but more than enough to assure him that his statement had touched her beyond measure.

"So, you'll stay?"

She nodded. "After that how could I say no?"

He laughed; glad he could still surprise her and make her happy with so simple a statement. He scratched his ear. "Now to just figure out what to say to Kev," he muttered.

"Just speak from your heart," she told him, standing up. She bent over to kiss him lingeringly on the forehead. "Cup of tea?"

He got that she wanted to give him the illusion of being alone to talk to his brother even while knowing that he wanted her there for support, so he nodded. "Sure. Do we have any Chai left?"

"I believe we do." She slipped away to the kitchen, pretending to ignore him and grabbed the teakettle off the stove and filled it at the sink.

He glared at the laptop, still not overly fond of the need for such tech in everyday life, but fully realizing the necessity, and, in this case, convenience. He dragged it over to rest on his thighs and opened it up. They'd left everything up from earlier so it would only be a matter of hitting the record button to get started. He ran his hands through his hair, realized he was trying to pretty himself up for his brother, growled and turned to look over at Alyx who was carefully measuring the loose tea into the tea balls as if this weren't the weirdest situation in the world.

He moved the cursor and hit the record button. "Hey, Kev, we need to have a chat…"

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: the dream sequence herein is compiled from a combination of the original script and the aired version of the Pilot along with my additions.

 

 

 

  _So this old school politico, Barry Goldwater once extolled, "I will offer a choice, not an echo."_

_Wish I'd been given that option._

 

_He ran down the facility hallways, brother by his side, the sound of the alarm forcing them to all but shout at each other, his bare feet slapping on the concrete floor as they made their way through the maze of halls hoping to make it to the exit before they were found._

" _My fault… it's my fault…" Kevin said as they rounded the corner at a fast jog._

" _Next time you'll trust me, right?" I came back with, wishing on this occasion I hadn't been right, or that I'd had more time to convince Kevin before all hell had broken loose._

" _Next time I'll…"_

_The door at the far end of the hall slid open, revealing a man dressed in black from head to toe wielding what to his untrained eye looked like a machine gun of some sort._

_As one he and Kevin said, "Ah, crap." The Kevin shoved him to the side._

_He landed behind one of the metal supports even as the machine gun barked, bullets flying down the hall to impact…_

_Dozens of them hit Kevin, who fell to the ground, the white lab coat quickly staining red._

_He growled softly and surged to his feet, the Quicksilver coming faster than ever before as he charged down the hall at the son of a bitch who had just shot his brother. A shoulder to the stomach and the man was down on the ground flat on his back. As he tried to sit up, he knocked him back down then shifted behind him, arms wrapping tightly about the man's neck, the anger bright red behind his eyes. A quick twist to the right was accompanied by a soul satisfying snap and the body of the man in his arms going limp._

_Leaving him there he rushed back to where Kevin lay on the ground struggling to sit up. He curved his arms about his torso, trying to help him up, but his body was heavy and Kevin seemed to have no control over his own limbs._

" _Here we go. We're gonna get you out. Kevin? Kevin look at me…" There's blood everywhere and while he might not be a genius like his brother even he can tell Kevin really isn't seeing anything at the moment. "Listen, we're gonna get you out… Here we go. Come on."_

" _Guns and explosions… like Nicky the Alto's brother?" Kevin coughs up blood, just adding to the stains on his body and the pool swiftly spreading beneath him. "I'm so sorry, Darien…"_

_He lifts him higher, hoping, praying that Kevin can just hang on a little while longer, long enough to get outside and to a phone, or walkie-talkie or anything at this point, just long enough to get help, real help that would put his brother back together._

" _It's okay. I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of you, okay. Here we go."_

" _Get out of here," Kevin ordered._

" _No! I'm not going anywhere." he stated with a shake of his head. "I'm not going anywhere. Here we go. Come on…"_

" _Don't let them have what's inside you. You be smarter than them, okay. God knows… you've always been smarter… than me…"_

_On those words Kevin's body began to seize, his lungs trying to suck in air, but only a sickening gurgling sound came out._

" _Kevin… Kevin… Kevin… Kevin!"_

Kevin jerked awake, cold sweat and Quicksilver running down his body. His heart pounded forcefully in his chest, the dream still there in his mind. His own face speckled with blood before his eyes. He stared about the room without really seeing anything; the dream still pressing against his mind, which did little to assist him returning his heart rate to anything resembling normal. He sucked in a deep breath not having realized until that moment that he'd forgotten to breathe. He continued the slow, steady breathing until he felt the Quicksilver flake away and the sweat begin to dry, causing him to feel chilled.

The fact that he had just managed to dream about something he'd never experienced impinged on his awareness and he had no reason to not surmise that it had actually been a memory of Darien's, as it matched the descriptions of his death that he'd read in all those files. He knew there were pictures and surveillance footage of the entire event, but he had not been offered them to view. He did not know if his experiencing Darien's memories was a good or bad thing, but he suspected the latter. Though it might have been nothing more than his waking mind, using Darien's, had crossed paths with what the sleeping mind had been envisioning. Which meant… which meant that even after all this time had passed, Darien still had nightmares about. his… Kevin's death, and that… that was oddly worrisome to Kevin.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, noticing he was on the far left side of the bed instead of the middle and based on the sprinkling of red hairs on the pillowcase next to him, suspected Alyx had been sharing the bed until recently. He glanced at the clock noting that like always he'd woken at seven, which was just plain weird and made no sense in the context of him borrowing Darien's body. He seriously doubted Darien got up regularly at seven in the morning, doubting his brother had lost his love for staying up late and sleeping in when permitted to. He looked over the apartment, noting little had moved since he'd last woken, though there was a piece of paper propped up on the laptop that read "watch me," which was a fair sign that Darien had figured out the video camera for himself, or, far more likely, gotten help from Alyx. She was extremely tech savvy and would have been more than able to assist Darien in his foray into videos… though that might not be a good thing given Kevin suspected they had a very active sex life.

_Good for you, Darien._  Kevin was happy his brother had found someone who cared about him as much as he suspected Alyx did, and that could never be a bad thing.

Deciding he would watch the video after he'd showered, he climbed out of bed, heading for the bathroom. He had a ton of work to do and hopefully the mainframe had succeeded in winnowing down the differences between the glands and versions of Quicksilver. Or maybe Arnaud had suddenly become magnanimous and given them the information they needed to solve the problem. He was just as stuck as Darien without the toxin data. Maybe they could use that as leverage. Nothing else had worked the last time he'd been conscious, though it was very possible things had changed in the last day.

He wouldn't know until he arrived at the office, which meant he needed to get going. The sooner he got there, the sooner he could get back to work and the sooner he'd have a solution.

 

Kevin arrived at the Agency still feeling bemused. Darien's video had been both revealing and pleading though he'd made every effort to hide it, but even after everything Kevin still knew his brother. He very much wanted out of this mess, the gland causing him far more trouble than it could ever be worth and Kevin wanted no part of subjecting others to the same problems. Darien had damn near been broken by the side effects of the Quicksilver. His once badass, trouble-making brother but a shadow of his former self. The sarcastic, cynical twenty-something he'd last seen had mellowed more than a bit, partially due to the gland, partially due to the loss of his brother, and probably mostly due to the influence of others whom he clearly admired. Alyx being at the top of that list. Somehow, without placing any burden on him at all, she made Darien want to be a better man, which shocked the hell out of Kevin who had been certain Darien would buck the system, every system if given his way, for the entirety of his life.

It was kind of amazing, and Kevin suspected she remained blissfully unaware of her influence upon Darien, because that would be the last thing she would want, to change him. And yet… yet according to Darien, Alyx was in dire need of help herself, her unique powers tying her to Darien in a very permanent fashion, even if the why were a mystery… to them. Kevin suspected he knew precisely why and if Alyx hadn't discovered why yet, she would eventually and it was, to put it simply, all Kevin's fault. He'd used her DNA in the gland, a fact she was now aware of, and which had apparently caused the unexpected connection between the pineal and Quicksilver gland in Darien. There was absolutely no reason why her DNA would not have recognized that the gland was part of her, if separate and forge a connection: one that, according to Darien she could not break or block with any real success. He could, but as such things did not come naturally to him, took great effort and could not be done for any length of time. This meant that waking or sleeping Alyx was at least peripherally aware of Darien  _at all times._

No wonder she felt so off-balance when Kevin had control.

Not that there was anything he could do to fix it, other than do what the Official wanted, and then hopefully be allowed to leave. Kevin feared that Darien had the right of it, and once problem number one had been solved a second would magically appear, and so on and so on ad infinitum.

Trouble was he had no idea how to break this stalemate. So long as Darien's body could handle the hosting the Official could keep Kevin around, no real reason not to, other than Darien would be useless as an agent, but then again, it would give the Official a reason to keep Alyx here instead of selling her to the highest bidder.

Oh, what a tangled mess. And he still had no clue what the Official really expected of him.

Girding his loins, so to speak, he knocked on Alyx's office door, receiving a muffled, "Come in," after a couple seconds.

He swung open the door and stepped in to find Alyx seated behind her desk, two laptops before her, the printer sitting on a table near the wall, spewing out reams of paper. Looked like she'd had some success getting into Arnaud's computer, hopefully something of use.

Morning, Kevin," she said before her focus actually swung over to him, but when it did she shook her head, trying to not laugh. "What in the name of all that is holy are you wearing?"

Kevin looked down at himself. He had found an actual suit buried in the back of Darien's closet, suspecting it was left over from a funeral or some other formal affair as the style was outdated, but more than serviceable for his needs. The shoes had been brown loafers that he refused to pair with the black dress slacks, so had chosen the so-dark-they-were-nearly-black work boots he'd found in the same closet. They were worn, broken in perfectly, and surprisingly comfortable. It was far from perfect, but would do. As soon as he got downstairs he'd exchange the suit jacket for a lab coat and feel much more comfortable. "Uh, clothes. Proper attire as far as I am concerned."

She frowned for a moment. "Kevin, you can't wear that."

"Why not?" he complained. Most of Darien's clothes belonged at Goodwill, hell, had probably come  _from_  Goodwill as his brother had no sense of style or value. "Jeans and t-shirts are not appropriate for the work environment."

She raised one eyebrow, which is when he took the time to notice she wore exactly that. Though her t-shirt appeared to be vintage Star Wars and probably worth quite a bit of money. "Kevin, who are you?"

Kevin closed his eyes for a long moment, confused by her question. "Um, Kevin Fawkes?" he answered questioningly.

"Nope. Try again."

Frustrated and needing to talk to her about other far more important things he blurted. "Yes, I am. You may not like that fact, but it, makes it no less true."

For an instant he felt anger, her anger, bright and dangerous, but she swallowed it back down and sucked in a calming breath, the numbers one to ten clearly visible on her face as she silently counted.

"No, you are not." She raised a hand to stop any response of his. "Who do you see when you look in a mirror?"

Kevin didn't understand, at first, then her words sank in. His reflection was that of his brother, not his own face, the one he only remembered now. The one he watched die as he had slept. "All right. Why is the clothing a problem?"

"We can't let anyone know about you, remember?"

He nodded, still not getting her meaning.

"Kevin, if you are going to pretend to be Darien, on the surface at least, you have to  _look_  like Darien," she explained, the exasperation well hidden but there all the same.

Kevin felt like an idiot. He knew this, he understood this, but he'd taken one look at the clothes in Darien's apartment and said  _no,_  deciding to do what he wanted, regardless of the situation as a whole. "Shit," he muttered under his breath.

"And the light has dawned. I thought you understood after our last discussion, my bad." She got to her feet and walked over to him. "Sorry, Kevin, but you're stuck with D's flea market fashion and troll doll hair until we get all this sorted out."

Kevin chuckled, surprised at how calmly she had dealt with this and him. "You are amazing, you know that?"

Her movement froze at those words, confusion and dismay skittering across her features.

"Alyx, did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. Let's just call it an odd case of déjà vu and leave it at that. Now, how can I help you today?"

Kevin really didn't want to leave it at that, as it seemed to have been important to her, but he did need to discuss what had happened this morning with her. "I woke up this morning from a nightmare… one that I experienced from Darien's point of view. I suspect that is not what would be considered normal."

She came around and leaned against the desk, hands curled about the edge. "Which dream?"

"Me being shot at the lab," he told her.

"A memory which  _you_  do not have, thus Darien's point of view," she stated, her mind clearly working through the possible meanings of this particular development. "What did Claire have to say?"

"I haven't told her yet," Kevin explained. "Thought I'd talk to you first, as you seem to have a better grasp of the situation than anyone else here."

Then she tossed a non sequitur at him. "Do you have a headache?"

"Uh, no. Why?"

" 'Cause Darien developed a debilitating one yesterday. He was sent home and quite literally spent the day in bed it was so bad."

"What does that have to do with me having Darien's nightmare?"

"I am afraid to conjecture at this point," she muttered, looking distressed. He could only wonder what she suspected, but would not share with the class. "What did Jennings inject you with your last wake period?"

"Inhibitor." He could tell by the look on her face that that had been a lie. "I'm guessing it was actually something else. Do we know what, yet?"

"Nope. Haven't spoken to Claire yet, but we will do so right now." She gestured at the door and he took that as his cue to leave. "Why'd you come to me first?"

Oh, the answer to that question was surprisingly simple. "Because I am certain you are the only one here with Darien's best interests at heart."

Alyx stopped dead in the middle of the quiet hallway, most of the staff not having yet arrived given the early hour. "Huh. You're smarter than you look."

Kevin debated taking umbrage with the implied slur considering his genius intellect, but suspected she didn't mean IQ. "Why have you taken Darien's side in this? I mean, I get the whole relationship side of it—"

"I made this decision long before he and I… got together." She smiled thinly. "Made it the first time we met, in fact."

"When you were kids?"

She laughed. "Okay, Mr. Picky, the second time we met."

"In the padded room. You didn't even know him."

"I learned more about him in those few hours than most would in a lifetime." She sighed heavily and stopped, leaning back against the dingy wall. "He hadn't been given an option, the Official and the gland forcing him to do things he abjectly hated. I figured the least I could do was give him what he deserved most."

"And what is that?" Kevin asked intensely curious.

"Simple: a choice." She pushed off from the wall. "In the dream you said it was Darien's point of view, but what did you feel?"

Kevin trailed along behind her as they headed for the stairwell, somewhat baffled at her violent change of subject. Though being baffled would normally allow him to speak, maybe, the part of his mind still stunned at her simple answer tried to steal his voice away. She did so much, was so protective of Darien just so he could have a choice of what he did with his life. Amazing was the least of what she was. He could only hope his idiot brother had the slightest clue of how lucky he was to have her in his corner.

"Um… good question." He thought back to the dream, to the emotions rushing through his… the… Darien's body. All perfectly natural given the situation. The rush of adrenaline, the relief at finding his brother, the shock and dismay at encountering the masked terrorist and on and on. All surely Darien's emotions, which he wouldn't have experienced if it had just been a part of a dream, no he had been remembering what had occurred. The body had anyway and he'd been the mind in control and he'd been swept up in the memory. "Fuck," he muttered.

"Shared memory, huh? Yeah, not good in case you haven't guessed all on your own." She grabbed his arm, and tugged him back into motion. "Claire needs to see you now."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." If he were experiencing Darien's memories that could mean he'd taken a deeper hold in Darien's neural system and while the human brain was versatile, it had never been designed to hold two distinct personalities and all the attendant memories. One would most certainly supersede the other eventually, and Kevin suspected it was not Darien that the Official ultimately intended to win. Oh, this was so wrong, and yet an amazing study, or it would be if he hadn't been one of the unplanned participants. "Can Darien's mind handle this?" he asked, suspecting Alyx had already been working on the problem.

She paused frowning as they exited the stairwell, the Keep just down the hall and around the corner. "I don't know. His mind has been forced to expand for the gland and his ability to focus mentally is nearly as good as mine, but he wasn't designed to handle this much data or the added neural connections your presence is going to create." She looked him in the eye. "He might very well cease to exist. Your code overwriting his."

He set his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, the sudden feeling of falling striking and surprising him as the body reacted to the contact. "I won't let that happen," he told her, meaning it.

"How do you stop it?" she countered in exasperation, her emotions carefully controlled, but still spilling over. She was furious, not at him, but at the situation.

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out. Maybe Claire has discovered what Jennings injected me with." He urged her into motion, the door to the Keep sliding open even as they rounded the corner and since Claire was not visible he would be willing to bet Alyx had opened it. Contact plainly not necessary for systems she was familiar with.

"Claire, you home?" Alyx called out as they entered the dimly lit room.

"Yes," she responded from the far side of the basement lab.

They rounded the glass divider that had been extended, blocking the side room from direct view of the door. Claire turned about, a selection of chemicals on the table behind her.

"Anti-peptide?" Alyx asked and got a nod in response.

"It will be ready later today," Claire assured her, then she took him in, a smile making her face light up. "Where on earth did you find that?"

Kevin sighed. "Buried in the back of the closet. I will be changing as soon as I can manage it," he added dourly, turning to Alyx.

She hid the smile efficiently. "I'll arrange something you can live with while the Keep pokes you." She turned back to the Keeper. "Did you discover what kind of Mickey he was slipped?"

Claire shook her head. "No. It was gone from his system by the time I took the blood sample yesterday."

That was not good. If they had no idea what the substance was then they would have no way to counter it. No easy way. Trial and error would work, but it would take time, quite possibly too much of it. "Or been absorbed by the target system," he suggested, the inkling of an idea coming to him, not that it would do much good without the actual substance, but would give him a place to start.

"Damn," Alyx muttered softly. "We don't dare risk taking a gland sample. Gods alone know what it might do… to either of them."

Claire looked from one to the other, taking a moment to catch up. "It might be in the Quicksilver, I could run tests on that."

"Worth a shot, but don't expect results," Alyx pointed out. "Had you been working on anything like this in conjunction with the Return Protocol?"

Claire shook her head. "No. I wrote my report, which was mostly conjecture, mind you, and moved on to other subjects."

"So Jennings took the work and ran with it, on the Official's orders, of course." Alyx looked irritated and cranky. "I have the sudden urge to throttle the man."

"Alyx, we have no idea what, if anything has been done," Claire offered up, but the words fell flat. "Darien had a headache, a severe one admittedly, but other than that appeared to be just fine. Kevin appears to be exhibiting no symptoms, so it may have been something entirely natural… and why are you shaking your head." The last had been aimed at Kevin as Alyx simply stood there, lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm experiencing Darien's memories as dreams," Kevin informed her and watched her hopeful, confident expression fall.

"I'm still not certain that's a problem. It stands to reason, since you are using Darien's brain for processing, you will, especially during REM sleep, access his memories and knowledge. He is sleeping as well, so during the crossover period of one personality to another the dream of one could very well carry over to the other." Claire said all of this with a matter of fact tone, making every appearance of dismissing their worries.

"Why are you blowing off my concerns?" Alyx asked astutely. "I understand the potential for overflow of memories from one to the other when in REM, dreams, however are different from memories and will always be skewed towards the person recalling them. Kevin experienced this dream from Darien's point of view complete with emotional response." She shook her head, sounding dismayed more than anything. "Kevin should be watching from a third person perspective at most, not playing a role."

Claire shook her head, clearly not willing to listen to a reasonable argument on the matter. "That is an assumption based on nothing—"

"Claire," Kevin interrupted, "I agree with her."

Claire blustered, "Kevin, you more than any of us should—"

"No, it should be me least of all. Based on my own notes very little of what I expected occurred when Darien began using the gland. I will make zero assumptions about the current situation." He nodded his head at Alyx. "Her extrapolations have been the most accurate," he gave her a wan smile, "even if they have been mostly worst-case scenarios. Why do you insist on cock-blocking her?"

Alyx allowed a surprised snort to escape at his decidedly crass comment. Even he had to admit it sounded far more like something his brother would say than himself, but this had been all him and he was working up to being damn angry and irritated at this point.

Claire frowned. "Because she is not any smarter than you or I and this is definitely not what she spends her days working on, no matter the impression she had given you."

"Claire, when did you become such a stick-in-the-mud?" She used to be open to any and every possibility, even giving him ideas towards success with his dream project though well outside her field of study at the time, but now… now she seemed to be holding tight to a tiny window of limits and… "What orders have the Official given you regarding this?" he gestured towards himself.

"Bloody hell," Claire groused. "Detailed and exacting ones."

"You're supposed to steer him onto a particular path and keep him there," Alyx stated, that mind of hers connecting all the dots even faster than himself.

"I won't do this, Claire. Will not play good little boy for some self-serving project. Last time I did that people got  _hurt_. I work my way or not at all." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest, heart pounding, feeling frustrated and used. "No wonder I haven't made any progress of value, you've been stalling me."

Claire blanched. "No, I have not," she argued.

Kevin turned to look at Alyx, who shrugged. "She's not lying… this time."

"Alyx," Claire squawked, anger flushing her pretty features over to pink. "I follow orders, just as you do."

"If I had followed orders, you would still be chained to a table with Arnaud deciding your fate." She cocked her head to the side. "I can make arrangements to return you to that situation if you like."

Claire huffed. "No, that won't be necessary." She paced the breadth of the lab. "My hands are tied, I am to help Kevin find a removal technique for the current version of the gland and that's all. I'm not even supposed to be monitoring the hosting situation, Jennings is in charge of that."

"I don't trust Jennings," Kevin stated. He would happily go to the Official and tell him the very same thing. As far as he was concerned Jennings would be permitted nowhere near him again. "We need to discover what he did to me… to Darien."

Claire sighed. "Agreed. On the exam chair, please."

Kevin did so, shedding the jacket as he moved, handing it to Alyx who found a chair to drape it on. He rolled up the shirtsleeve when he saw Claire pick up a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. "Alyx, how did you know it was a memory and not just a dream?"

Alyx leaned back against the stanchion, hands tucked into the pockets of her jeans. "You described Darien's emotional state to a T."

Kevin adjusted his sleeve higher as Claire wrapped the cuff about his biceps. "How could you know that?"

"Oh, I'm certain Darien has discussed it with her," Claire tossed out as she quickly pumped the bulb until the cuff tightened uncomfortably about his arm.

"Ow," he groused and she smiled thinly up at him.

"Actually, Darien doesn't talk about it much," Alyx answered, ignoring the glare Claire shot her way. "He's shared the dream with me a couple of times, is all."

Kevin closed his eyes for a long moment, certain he'd misheard her. "Wait? What?"

Claire muttered something under her breath that he didn't catch.

Alyx shrugged. "A weird side effect of the mind meld we have. If our sleep cycles sync up we can share our dreams."

"You're kidding me, right?" Kevin looked at Claire who looked ready to spit nails. "She is not serious, is she?"

"I'm afraid she is," Claire answered. She released the remaining air from the cuff and ripped it off, the sound of Velcro loud in the suddenly quiet room. "Your blood pressure is high, though not as bad as it was yesterday. Do you have a headache?"

Kevin shook his head. "No, I don't. Alyx asked the same thing, is that important?"

"I have no idea," Claire responded, putting the items away.

He turned to Alyx. "But you think it is," he stated.

"My opinions clearly have no bearing on the situation," she stated, tone icy cold. He could feel her irritation over the situation even from across the room and out of direct contact with her. Damn, that connection between them was strong.

"Alyx," Claire said, sounding upset. "I am following orders."

"Even if those orders ultimately lead to the detriment of Darien's… health?"

Even Kevin could tell that the final word had not been her first choice.

"We have no proof of your suspicions," Claire pointed out to her.

"And by the time we do, it will be too late and Darien will be gone for good." Alyx looked away, her disillusionment at Claire's stance evident in her tone. "Just like the Official wants."

"Alyx, you're biased," Claire shot back with.

"No, I'm human. Kevin, I would highly recommend you avoid Jennings at all costs, gods alone what other orders he's been given. I've locked him out of the system, so I fully expect to get a solid ass-chewing from the 'Fish about that sometime today." She shoved off the stanchion. "I'm going to get back to work on Arnaud's computer. I'll let you know if I get into the files we… you need." She quickly stepped away, around the glass divider before he could say a word.

He slipped off the exam chair, Claire's, "Kevin," not slowing him down one whit. He caught up with Alyx in the hallway.

"Giving up so easily?" he questioned, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"I know when not to fight the juggernaut," she told him. "You go follow orders like a good boy." She made shooing motions at him, but he was having none of it.

"Do you really think that little of me?"

"Kevin, I don't know you well enough to answer that. I do think that what you  _intend_  is going to be undermined by what the Official  _wants_  and, right now, he does not want Darien. I just wish I knew why," she spoke to him calmly, her ire held tightly within and not directed at him in particular, but the crappy situation as a whole.

He slumped back against the wall. "I agree with you, but what do I do? I can't exactly walk away, and if Jennings has done what you suspect, then I'm stuck here until the Official decides he's done with me. We both know that."

"Like I said, smarter than you look." She gave him a smile. "Go work the problem," she told him, her eyes boring directly into his, and making him suspect a deeper meaning to the words.

"Which problem?"

She smiled grimly. "Exactly."

 

~^~^~^~

 

He'd finally gotten used to waking up at seven a.m., and had his routine down and once moving could be ready in under an hour… except that now he knew he had to dress more like Darien. Alyx had come by at his request to give him a better idea of what would be acceptable to wear and still not make him overtly uncomfortable. Yes, he had a role to play and he now understood he had to take it seriously, so seriously he'd had Alyx give him lessons on how to achieve Darien's upswept look. It had been an interesting couple of hours and she'd been the most relaxed he'd seen her since they'd first met over two weeks ago. She'd taken his request through Darien to heart and was making every effort to curb her irritation when with him, and that made working with her so much easier – not that they had worked much together. He and Claire had been pretty much sequestered in Lab Three working on the removal issue with limited success. The comparisons being run on the mainframe were taking longer than he liked, but Eberts insisted that the system was working at capacity and that every, and any available byte of processing power had been allocated to the task once the regular work had been done for the day. He hadn't seen Hobbes other than in passing, though Alyx said they'd been poking Arnaud with sticks to get him to cough up more passwords. Kevin had been rather shocked (shocked, now that was an ironic turn of phrase) at the method Alyx had used, but Kevin had said nothing, agreeing that justice was not something he was seeking from the man. He would not balk at any reasonable attempt to get the data he needed, and Alyx was clearly capable of doing what needed to be done, and with great efficiency.

Hopefully she had managed to persuade Arnaud into being a bit more helpful, but he didn't count on it.

Coffee in hand, he sat down at the desk and woke up the laptop, looking forward to reading Alyx's responses to his emails and seeing what message Darien had left for him. He was surprised to find his inbox empty and hoped that nothing had gone wrong the previous day as Alyx had not revoked her offer of assistance, even if now it needed to be on the sly thanks to Claire's standing orders. He was certain Claire knew he was keeping Alyx apprised of the work, but pretended to know nothing to prevent the Official from becoming aware, since all the man would have to do is send her out of town on some assignment and all her help would be lost to him. He remained certain that she – either her genetics or just her knowledge – would be the key to resolving the issue. Not that he had told Claire that. No, he had the feeling that would not go over very well at all. She seemed to take umbrage with Alyx being consulted at all, insisting that she did not have the knowledge necessary to assist, and yet… yet Alyx seemed to be the only one to fully grasp the potential complications.

So, why hadn't she responded to his email?

He turned to the video and hit play only to discover that it was nothing more than the one he'd left for Darien the day before. Weird. Again the concern that something had gone drastically wrong occurred to him, perhaps that headache they'd mentioned had returned, leaving Darien unable to work and it would only be natural that Alyx would choose caring for him over answering technical questions of Kevin's. He could not begrudge her that. Darien was damn important to her, caring for him when ill would only be natural.

Closing the laptop, he figured he might as well get to the office and find out what had gone wrong the day before sooner rather than later. Both Alyx and Claire would probably be there when he arrived and if he could keep them from glaring daggers at each other intended to consult with both of them on the dead end they'd hit with the gland removal. Picking up the cell phone, he glanced at the screen debating texting Alyx when he noticed the date.

_Uh, what the hell?_  It showed the same date as when he'd gone to bed just after one a.m. and that should not be possible. A full day should have passed since he'd last been in control of the body. Opening the laptop on the pool table, his eyes made a beeline for the date and time in the upper right corner and discovered it to be the same. So unless someone was playing one hell of a joke on him he had not missed a day, which meant… oh shit, that meant Darien had not taken a turn and that… that meant Alyx's suspicions, the ones Claire had dismissed out of hand, had been on the money and Jennings had gotten him with some sort of personality suppressor. One that had shut off Darien and left Kevin in control of the body.

"No, damn it," he snarled into the otherwise empty room.

This was not how it was supposed to be. This was not  _right_. What the hell did the Official think he was doing?

Kevin sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly when he realized his heart rate had begun to skyrocket. Last thing he needed was to Quicksilver right now, he'd probably get stuck, need Alyx to bring him back and then require a shot of Counteragent to flush the excess toxin from his system. He paused on that thought. Sleeping had not permitted Darien control, but a shot of Counteragent might and for several long minutes Kevin debated the merits of risking Madness for the chance of getting Darien back for a time, long enough that the threat of Quicksilvering passed. Besides if he were going to try that better to do it in a controlled situation where there was Counteragent nearby. He didn't even want to think what he might do Quicksilvermad with no one nearby to stop him. He had a dark side, everyone did, but as he rarely let it see the light of day, permitting it to run free would most likely be a very bad thing. There was a reason he didn't drink, and him running loose on a neural disinhibitor could easily be ten times worse.

He needed to talk to Claire, then Alyx and then the Official. He hoped like hell the Official hadn't authorized this, that Jennings had done this all on his own, because if not… Kevin wouldn't allow this to happen again. Gaither had all but destroyed Kevin when he taken his work and used it long before it was ready. This... this was abuse of the worst kind.

Alyx had warned him and he hadn't believed her, believed that while the Official was all bureaucrat he still had a soul, a heart, some trace of humanity, but clearly Kevin had been wrong.

Picking the laptop back up, he grabbed the car keys and rushed out the door. They needed to fix this and now.

Claire was in Lab Three reviewing data printed out on reams of paper.

"Claire, we have a problem."

"Good morning, Darien. Still have a headache?"

He shook his head. "I'm not Darien."

She froze for a long moment, taking in the clothes and hair that even Kevin had to admit just screamed Darien, which was the point after all, and sighed heavily. "Funny. I have work to do."

Kevin strode over to her and removed the papers from her hands. "I'm not joking," he all but yelled, causing her to frown. He held out his right wrist, sliding the watchband off the snake with two red segments and tapped it. "You used to draw this on your course packs all the time."

Claire's eyes widened in very real surprise.

"Does Darien know that?"

She shook her head. "Kevin, you shouldn't be awake. Wait? Did you sleep?"

"Yes, of course. Would I be concerned if I hadn't?"

"Ah, I suppose not," she replied, disbelief still evident in her tone. "How did this happen?"

Kevin wanted to throttle her. "Jennings, of course. That inhibitor shot must have been a chemical suppressant that has granted me full control of Darien's body."

"You can't know that for certain," Claire argued, if lamely, like she wanted to cling desperately to the belief that Alyx could not have been correct all along.

"I'd say my being here makes it pretty damn certain," Kevin snapped, his usual mild temperament fraying at her stubbornness. "Now is not the time to play the part of the Official's toady. We need to fix this. Now."

She glared at him, clearly not liking the toady shot, especially after they had all given that name to Jennings for his expert use of yes-man-ship. "I would be happy to if I had any idea how."

"Fuck," he swore softly. "I won't do this. I won't sacrifice Darien, not for me, not for anything."

"Not even to complete your project? To get it right and working as it always should have?"

He looked at Claire stunned. And there it was, the real reason for his being here. Finish the project. Probably the only thing the Official had wanted all along. Everything, Claire being in danger, Arnaud's demands, all of it just a convenient excuse to bring him back and put him to work again and all it cost was the remainder of Darien's life. "No, not even for that," he stated and the look of surprise on Claire's face just proved how little she remembered of him.

But then she surprised him with her reply, "Good."

He blinked.

"Come on, Kevin, I'm Darien's doctor, more I'm his friend, and while I admit it is so very good to see you again, I refuse to do it at Darien's expense." She spread her hands wide as if in supplication. "Besides, Alyx would hurt me."

"Christ, Claire, you had me worried there for a second."

She managed a shaky laugh. "Then I played the part right. That said, I have no idea how to reverse this and I doubt Jennings is going to volunteer the information."

"Maybe Alyx can persuade him," he suggested in a dark tone. He'd be willing to watch and take notes at this point. She'd been so right about Jennings and Kevin could only blame himself for allowing his annoyance of the man get the better of him and submitting to that shot.

Claire produced a very unladylike snort of amusement. "If she gets anywhere near him right now he isn't like to survive the encounter."

"Is her temper that bad?"

"When it comes to Darien, yes," she told him. "We need to tell her before she finds out on her own."

"Agreed. May I suggest we have Agent Hobbes join us? He seems to have a calming influence on her."

Claire nodded and moved to her cell phone sitting on the desk. "I'll see if he's in the building yet."

He was and Claire requested that he meet them at Alyx's office. They discussed nothing of value on the walk up, not wanting to risk someone overhearing their plotting and planning and perhaps run off to tell the Official. Hobbes would be on their side in this matter, Kevin was pretty certain of that, other than that though, he had no idea how the older agent would react to the news.

Hobbes waited for them just down the hall and around the corner from Alyx's office. "What's up?" he asked in a soft voice.

"We have a slight problem," Claire answered, "and may need you to keep Alyx from injuring the Official."

"Or Jennings," Kevin added.

"No, I daresay she'll go after the man who ordered this, not the messenger," Claire argued, and Kevin had to admit she probably knew Alyx better than himself, though he would bet she'd rip both men a new orifice or two just to spread her anger around evenly.

"Keepy, just tell me what the hell is going on so I have a clue what to expect out of the kid," Hobbes requested, at a loss as to what was going on, which was understandable. "Fawkes still have that headache?"

Claire set a hand on Kevin's arm. "This isn't Darien," she stated and they waited for realization to hit.

When it did, Hobbes sighed heavily and rubbed his face with one hand. "Oh crap," he muttered. "The kid is going to flip her lid."

"So I surmised," Kevin said, wishing there were an easy way to break this news to her.

"No, you really don't get it," Hobbes said shaking his head. "She's walking on thin ice as it is, and she's has the ability to flatten this city if she wants to… and over this," Hobbes waved a hand at Kevin, "she just might."

"Bobby, Alyx would not let her control slip like that," Claire admonished.

"Like what?" Alyx asked from behind, startling all of them. She had not been in her office after all. "You're up early, D." She froze when she set a hand on his arm, paling dramatically in the crappy lighting of the hallway. "Kevin," she whispered hoarsely.

The surge of emotion from her damn near knocked him to the ground it struck so hard, his knees going weak and threatening to not hold him up. He foolishly set a hand on her shoulder to steady himself, which only caused the emotions being transmitted to him through touch to double in intensity. "Alyx," he managed, her emotions stealing his voice away.

She hadn't moved an inch, clearly trying to contain the overflow, but unable to for the moment. "Bobby," she got out, pleading for help.

Hobbes did the only thing that made sense and broke the physical connection between Alyx and Kevin, the downside of that being he then got the joy of being flooded with the intense emotions Alyx could not seem to help but broadcast. For Kevin the emotions eased, but did not cease altogether, that mental connection she shared with Darien alive and continuing to transmit the overflow to him even without direct contact.

Hobbes grunted, but didn't let go, pulling Alyx a few steps down the hall, trying to get her to focus and regain her control. "Kid, it's all right—"

"No, it isn't," she snapped, the sudden surge of anger impacted all of them with what felt like physical force. Her control slipping out of her grasp, and she knew it. Kevin could see the struggle on her face, could feel her emotions thrashing all over the place, sliding from one to another as the implications of Kevin's continued presence, no matter that she had predicted it, settled upon her fully. "Shit," she swore, tearing away from Bobby, hands going to her head in a vain attempt to contain all that she held within, but the emotions continued to spill from her and based on the strength, more than just the three of them could feel it.

Hobbes hadn't been kidding; she really could destroy the city, even if only by accident.

Screwing up his courage he tried to figure out what Darien might do in this situation. Almost without conscious thought, allowing that muscle memory that had been annoying him since they had first met take over, he walked up to her, cupped her face in both hands and set his forehead against hers. "You can do this. Just remember how he sees you."

An eternity passed, but slowly, ever so slowly she forced the swirling emotions and personas – those other versions of her Darien had told him about had clearly been set free at the news – back into their cages, holding desperately onto the one thing that could get her through this, the knowledge of how Darien pictured her.

He had no idea how long they stood there, but eventually she settled and the stunned expressions of the other two standing in the hallway impinged on his awareness. Still, he didn't want to release her until certain she could handle things; if her energy ability decided to get involved with her unhappiness he didn't see the ancient wiring in the building lasting for more than a few seconds.

Claire cleared her throat loudly and Kevin slowly lifted his head up and opened his eyes to look down at Alyx who remained a lovely shade of pale, her eyes still closed as she concentrated on holding herself together and not broadcasting her distress to the entire metro area.

"That shouldn't have worked," Hobbes stated, confusion coloring the words.

Kevin pulled away; his hands still cupped about her face and turned to Hobbes. "But it did."

"This time," Claire muttered, shifting to stand next to Bobby a look of irritation easily visible on her countenance. Obviously she did not approve of Kevin with his brother's girl, or perhaps she simply didn't want Kevin with anyone else at all. The thought of Claire being jealous was both amusing and intriguing all at the same time. However, Alyx's needs outweighed any other at the moment.

"My head hurts," Alyx complained bitterly, her eyes opening slowly, the normally bright silver appearing dulled.

"I know," Kevin said softly, wishing he could be of more help, but who she really needed was Darien and he had been buried somewhere in his own mind. "Can you still feel him… Darien?"

She shuddered violently, but after a moment nodded. "He feels deep asleep… and so very far away." Her voice cracked on the last few words, her anguish coming through loud and clear.

Kevin didn't hesitate and pulled her in close. "Easy. Give yourself a moment to adjust." He tipped his head down, lips brushing the hair just above her ear and whispered, "I will get him back, I promise."

She swallowed hard, holding on for dear life for a second, then backed away, head snapping about to stare down the hall towards the stairwell and mere seconds later the Official barreled around the corner with Eberts scurrying after him, clipboard hugged tightly to his chest as if he could use it as a shield.

Kevin suspected he was going to need it.

"What the hell is going on?" the Official bellowed.

Alyx burned with a white-hot ire directed at the man striding towards them and, since Kevin needed him alive, he stepped between her and their boss. "You tell us? Why on earth would you think it was a good idea to suppress Darien?"

For an instant surprise flickered on the Official's face, but it was quickly replaced with smugness. "So you would have more time to focus on your work, of course. Time, which you are wasting attempting to get in a little nookie on the clock."

Hobbes growled under his breath. "You planned this."

"Of course I did. That gland is my property to do with as I wish. Fawkes has never been anything more than a useful tool." The Official waved at Kevin. "Now he's being exceedingly useful."

Kevin felt Alyx stiffen behind him, but got no emotions at all, she'd locked them down tight.

"Sir," Claire tried only to be shouted into silence.

"All of you seem to have forgotten this is  _my_  Agency and I will run it as I see fit."

"Even if it drives everyone away," Hobbes muttered, more than loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"Are you threatening to leave, Agent Hobbes?" the Official questioned in a thoroughly bored tone that poorly disguised the threat behind the words.

"No, sir," Hobbes answered, practically snapping to attention, "I fully intend to protect my partner no matter what."

Kevin liked that comeback; a rebuke hidden within acquiescence. "Don't I get an opinion?" Kevin asked, only to receive a harsh bark of laughter from Alyx in response.

"Don't you get it, Kevin, you're the tool he intends to use until the body you wear breaks."

Kevin shifted about to look at Alyx, who had spoken clearly and calmly and looked as if what had occurred had been forgone. From her perspective he supposed it had been and he really wished he'd listened to and believed her sooner, he might have prevented this from happening. But no, he had gone blithely on, assuming that the situation would not change and that the Official was not capable of the depravity Alyx had accused him of. The man could be ruthless, Kevin knew that, but it had always been necessitated by dire need, and from what Kevin could tell the need in this particular instance was far from dire.

"Agent Silver, you will do your job and assist Dr. Fawkes as needed," the Official ordered so callously Kevin wanted to balk at the words.

Alyx shook her head. "No."

The Official flushed over to red. "Would you prefer to be sent on assignment?" Clearly a threat as opposed to an option, but Alyx took it in stride.

She took three steps forward, putting her within spitting distance of their boss. "Oh, I won't be doing that either," she informed them, her tone too calm and Kevin knew that under the bland exterior she was boiling and ready to explode into hissing, burning steam.

"Then what do you intend to do?" Eberts asked, voice only shaking slightly on the words.

Alyx tipped her head slightly, eyes narrowing, which caused Eberts to swallow convulsively. "I believe I will be taking my accumulated sick days, starting now." She turned around, meeting Kevin's eyes for a long moment, then began to walk away, her back to the Official.

"I have not authorized that," the Official bellowed at her retreating back, but she failed to react, the threat clearly not impressing her at all. "I'll revoke the deal."

This time she stopped, but only for a moment. "Go ahead. I can handle it myself… thanks to your training."

The Official looked as if he were about to go into cardiac arrest he was so blindly angry at her challenging him. "Hobbes, talk some sense into her before she finds herself shipped to Siberia and Comrade Dimitri."

Hobbes nodded tightly and charged down the hall after her, managing to get a hand on her before she turned the corner. "Kid, don't do this," he didn't raise his voice, but the hall was dead silent except for his words and the heavy breathing of the Official.

"Bobby, I have to." She set a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, promise." She didn't smile, didn't seem overly upset, but she also wasn't about to be persuaded no matter what was said, be it threats or pleading.

Hobbes glanced back down the hall, grimacing, but only said, "All right. Take care of yourself, you hear me?"

She cupped his cheek with one hand for an instant, his eyes going wide in reaction and then she stepped away, not turning back to look at any of them and within seconds she'd turned the corner and was gone from view.

Claire, who'd been utterly silent through all of this exploded. "Are you a bloody fool?" she snarled at the Official.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you wish to be replaced as the Keeper?"

"If you're going to behave like this, then yes, I just might," she snapped right back without a trace of fear in her. She was well and truly pissed, both Alyx and Darien were her friends and the Official had just banished two of them with this idiocy.

"Dr. Jennings would be more than happy to take over that role," Eberts pointed out.

"Except with Darien and Alyx gone you no longer need a Keeper, do you?" Kevin astutely asked. "Not that Jennings will be of any use given he's locked out of the computer system," he added with a smirk.

The Official took that far too easily. "He has his orders, as do you, Dr. Fawkes."

"Orders?" Kevin snapped. "You think I'm trying to find a removal technique for Arnaud? I'm working on it for Darien, who might not exist by the time I'm successful. So, why don't you cut the bullshit and tell me why I'm really here?"

Much to Kevin's dismay the Official only chuckled, granted it was dark and evil, but a chuckle nonetheless. "You know exactly why you are here and I suggest you get to work." And with that their lord and master turned away, Eberts following dutifully behind, and left them all standing their mouths agape in shock.

Once certain the coast was clear Hobbes managed a strangled, "What the hell just happened?"

Neither Claire nor Kevin had an answer.

"Where is she?" Kevin asked, feeling the need to speak to Alyx before she rode off into the sunset.

"Probably packing up her office," Hobbes guessed. "Why?"

"Because we can't let her do this," Kevin said, heading down the hall at a fast walk with them trailing along.

"You can't stop her, Kevin," Claire said as she rushed to catch up with him.

"Hell, I kinda want to join her," Hobbes grumbled, keeping up with them easily.

"As do I," Kevin agreed, "but I doubt the Official would permit it. I suspect I would be dragged back and locked in a lab until I give him what he wants." He shook his head. "No, I fear my only option it to do as the Official wishes and accomplish it as quickly as possible."

They had arrived at Alyx's office, Claire raised her hand to knock on the door, but Kevin pushed past her, not bothering to be polite about it and walked right on in. Alyx hadn't wasted any time, there was single box on her desk with a few files and notebooks, the rest tossed aside as not worth her time, which meant it wouldn't be worth theirs either.

She looked Claire in the eyes and said, "My files are being removed from the server as we speak, that includes the Keep machines."

"Alyx, you don't need to do this," Claire pleaded, not wanting to lose her co-worker and friend over this.

"Yeah, she does, Claire," Hobbes said, tone a clear reprimand. "Need any help packing, kid?"

She shook her head, a smile on her lips, a smile that did not touch her eyes. "No, but thanks, my friend."

"You sure you'll be okay?"

She sighed. "No, but I'll do what I always do: fake it."

Hobbes snickered. "And I bet you're really good at faking it."

"Bloody hell, Bobby. Can't you be serious for even a minute?" Claire complained, hands on her hips.

"Keep, how much more serious do you want it to get? She's taking a stand, one I agree with even if I don't dare follow her. This is wrong, Keeper, and you should realize that." Hobbes looked so very disappointed in the blonde doctor and Kevin couldn't disagree with the judgment.

Alyx held out a laptop to Kevin, who took it with some confusion. "Okay… What is this for?"

" _That_  is Arnaud's laptop. I never cracked the encryption, maybe Eberts will have some luck with it," she explained, sounding bitter.

"Alyx, take it with you," Kevin said, holding out the machine as if his will alone would make her take it back and with it this stand she was taking against the Official and his machinations.

She snorted. "You really think the Official will let me walk out the door with that, the one thing that might resolve this quickly?" She turned to Bobby. "Check the monitor, would you, I think he's gone mad."

Kevin glowered. "Alyx, your help will resolve this that much sooner."

"Drop it, Doc. She ain't staying." Hobbes shifted to stand in front of him, which did little to obscure Kevin's view of Alyx as he could easily see over the top of the shorter man's head. "You got everything you need, kid?"

"Everything of importance," she answered, the strap of her laptop bag over one shoulder she picked up the box and began to move towards the door.

"Alyx—"

"You have work to do, Kevin. I suggest you get to it," Alyx stated tone bland, her eyes burning with emotion. She was far more upset than she was willing to reveal. "Bobby, call me, 'kay?"

"You got it, kid. We'll do dinner."

"Bobby, I doubt the Official would want you to be spending time with her, even off the clock," Claire stated, playing the part of toady to the hilt at the moment.

Hobbes shrugged. "He can dock my pay. C'mon, kid, I'll walk you out."

Without another word they left the room, leaving Kevin standing there holding a computer and next to an irritated Keeper who had apparently sided with the Official when it came to Alyx and her choice to leave.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kevin growled at Claire. "We need her to make this work."

"Why do you keep saying that? She is not an expert on the Quicksilver gland no matter what she may have convinced you of," Claire snapped back, eyes flashing with anger.

"Jealous?" Kevin asked and watched as Claire's mouth gaped open and shut like a fish's.

"Wh… What? Why would you say something like that?"

Kevin sighed, set the computer down on Alyx's desk, and then leaned back against it. "You keep insisting that she does not have the knowledge necessary to work on this project, yet she has not only answered any question I've had, but made observations and comments that suggest the very opposite."

"Memorizing a few files does not make one an expert," Claire pointed out snarkily.

"Very true," Kevin agreed. "But if this is how you feel about her, why does she assist you? She designed the inhibitor if I recall correctly, and that would require very detailed knowledge of how the gland functions to do."

Claire glared at him, but failed to have a response.

"Is it you or the Official who does not want her working on this project?"

"Does it matter? She's walked out on all of us."

"I think it does." He stepped over to her and set a hand on her shoulder. "I can't… won't work with you if I can't trust you."

She tipped her head down. Long blonde hair falling forward to hide her face. "I told you, I have my orders."

"As do I, apparently." He backed away. "I suppose we should get to it then." Without another word he left the office to head back down to the basement and Lab Three that would apparently be his home for the foreseeable future. He would work the problem, solve the issue and then… then move onto the next one if the Official had his way about it. Without the exact suppressor used he would be stuck here indefinitely unless… maybe, just maybe the anti-peptide shot would work. He wouldn't know until he tried, but he didn't dare risk using it until after he had a solution. He had promised Darien he would do everything he could to get him out of this mess, which meant staying for a while.

Claire charged after him, brilliant smile adorning her features. "Excellent. I think we'll have a solution in no time at all."

Kevin said nothing, knowing that the chances of success were slim at best without the detailed information on the madness producing genes and only Arnaud had that, and he wasn't likely to share without Alyx to make him see reason. Even if it required the judicious use of electricity, which had apparently been quite effective the last time. He really wanted to go talk to Arnaud, but wasn't confident enough in playing the part of Darien without Alyx around to prompt him. Revealing the truth, that the gland, under the right conditions could be used to host another person would give the man all sorts of new ideas that would be horribly bad for the world at large. Shit, Kevin could see the application used by his own government. A redesigned gland lacking the Quicksilver, but still able to host once the connection to the pineal had been forged. A perfect sleeper agent, an ordinary, but perfectly placed agent who then magically transformed into a super spy that could acquire the data wanted, or make the needed assassination with no one the wiser. God, it was genius and all it required was his gland and dash of Alyx's precious DNA, mix liberally and wait for nature to take its course.

Little wonder she wanted no part of working on the removal given Kevin had thought this up, could even see the design of the new gland, after no more than a slight mental segue. Damn it. He needed to focus or he would be stuck here forever and Darien's life would be over, and much to his surprise he knew that this, the hosting of one person by another should never happen again, but so long as the Quicksilver gland contained even trace amounts of Alyx's DNA it would remain possible.

He decided then and there he would not reveal that truth to anyone, not even Claire, even if it might help in getting the gland out safely. If the Official found out, Alyx would become nothing more than another tool and he felt with a certainty that weighed heavily on his bones she would never permit it. On Darien's bones, that was. He had to remember that, this was Darien's body; Darien's life and he deserved to live it. His life, his choices, even if Kevin hated and disagreed with every single one he might make.

They arrived at the Lab, Kevin only marginally aware of the conversation he and Claire had had on the way down. It hadn't been of any importance in the greater scheme of things. He set Arnaud's laptop down on the desk and picked up the stack of files the mainframe had spit out once the overnight run had completed. It would take him and hour or more to plow through the certain to be useless data, but he would go through the motions, work with Claire on a removal, and then, at the end of the day stop by Alyx's place and hope she'd be willing to talk to him for a few minutes. Hope she would still be willing to help, if only on the sly.

Hope she could hold herself together and remain sane without Darien.

There were two people at risk with this insane plan of the Official's, if only he had bothered to realize it.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Two days had gone by with no success to speak of. The first computer run had finally completed only to reveal so many differences between the two versions of the gland that choosing which one was the toxin would require a very lucky guess and he wasn't willing to play the odds, so he had moved on to the Quicksilver comparison, which was a three-way: Alyx, Darien and the original that he had programmed in from memory. He suspected the differences would be minimal at best since Alyx's Quicksilver and Darien's could merge, which suggested the Madness toxin, while secreted from the gland, was not an actual component of the Quicksilver. Other tests seemed to support that, none of the Quicksilver samples taken externally from Darien had the toxin in it. In fact, it matched the original design, so that left the toxin being produced along with one of the reagents possibly, though the fact that Alyx had been able to cause the snowflake effect in Arnaud just through touch implied that was unlikely. They hadn't had the opportunity to check if Alyx could  _trigger_  the Quicksilver in a gland carrier, but suspected she could, as near as he could tell without a detailed comparison, Alyx's naturally produced reagents were nearly identical to those Kevin had created for his biosynthetic gland.

He had been forced to go on memory for Alyx's details, as he had not been allowed into her files since she had walked away. He had called her repeatedly, even gone by her apartment several times in hopes of catching her and requesting just a moment of her time, but she had either not answered her door or not been at home. He couldn't be sure if she was avoiding him, or had taken her sick leave a step further than he'd thought she would have and left town. Though where she'd go, he hadn't a clue and neither had Hobbes. Claire had been helpful with the gland work, but snubbed any discussions about Alyx, even those related to the removal issue, so he had dropped it like a hot potato and did that side of the work in his head. Hobbes had been far more reasonable, letting Kevin know that 'the kid was fine,' which suggested he'd been in contact with her since she'd left.

That eased only some of Kevin's concerns. He had watched that video of Darien's several more times, trying to ferret out just one more tidbit of information from it concerning Alyx, but either his brother's hints were too subtle or there was nothing else to find. Kevin knew she wouldn't be doing very well at this point, but unless she decided to return his call he would not be able to help.

It may have been after midnight, but he had no interest in sleep, not when all he dreamed about was failing his brother, especially after saving him, first from the horror of prison, then from a potential death in a hail of bullets. Alyx was right, this, the Agency was nothing more than another prison for Darien, trapped with no choice and no way out. Work for Counteragent, a substance he could not create on his own, not that he'd ever be allowed to have the formula. The Official liked his control and given Darien had been very much a wild card when first coming to the Agency, there was little surprise the control had been needed and inevitably tight. Training him… make that taming him, bending him to follow the rules and play the game the way the Official wanted… keeping the collar tight and the leash a short one would have been the only course of action. And it had worked… to a degree. Then, after a year of scoring brownie points for the Agency, he'd become desperate… to escape and for vengeance and gone rouge, staying away long enough to go into what had been termed Stage Five madness, his system so flooded with Quicksilver and toxin his tears ducts had leaked Quicksilver into his eyes, turning them a solid silver. From there things had gotten scary and only Bobby making a bargain with the devil – Arnaud – had gotten Darien what he needed: a modified Counteragent. Afterwards Darien had crashed, depression and misery setting in so deeply that when it became clear to the Official that Darien would not be coming out of it on his own he moved on a alternate plan that had involved bringing in a new agent: Alyx.

Kevin had thought Alyx had been exaggerating about how she and Darien had met, but Kevin had gone digging when no one was looking and found not only the files, but the recorded video, that covered over two weeks, from Alyx's heavily drugged arrival the Agency, where she had had the pleasure of spending a large amount of her time in the cage now occupied by Arnaud, to the moment when she had shattered the glass in the padded room and ordered Claire to help Darien, whom she had knocked out after he had attacked her while quite Quicksilvermad.

The worst meeting possible, one would think and yet… and yet here they were still together well over a year later… or would be if the Official hadn't pulled this stupid stunt.

Kevin had taken enough of the blame already and refused to shoulder any more. If Darien were to be gone for good, it wouldn't be for lack of trying on his part. He would make every effort to resolve this mess in a satisfactory manner. He would get Darien's life back no matter what the Official actually wanted.

But to do that he needed help.

Of that he remained certain. This situation had become untenable and he was beginning to realize that this hosting, Darien's brain and body being used to revive another human might not be working as well as the Official had hoped. Kevin had gone over Claire's notes and had to agree that her conclusions were in no way definitive enough to support bringing  _anyone_  back, much less himself. Maybe, just maybe Alyx had had some success finding out who could be pulling the Official's puppet strings, because otherwise this decision was madder than one Darien might make while Stage Four.

He pulled into the garage at her apartment building; weirdly thankful she hadn't changed the code for the gate and parked next to her shiny Jag. He knew that the car being here meant nothing, it had sat there looking forlorn on two of his other visits, when she had, to all appearances not been at home. He could only hope that had changed this time.

Laptop bag slung over his shoulder he headed for the elevator and up to her apartment. When he pressed the buzzer on her door he truly did not expect her to answer so was shocked when mere seconds later it slid sharply to the side, a momentary blast of music striking him with a near physical force, causing him to idly note the soundproofing of the walls must be quite impressive for him to have not noticed prior to the door opening, before the sound cut off leaving a dramatic and eerie silence in it's wake.

Alyx appeared before him, sweaty and disheveled, clearly having been involved in some form of personal bodily torture based on the attire. Ignoring the glare and the lack of obvious welcome he pushed past her and into the apartment, not about to give her a chance to slam the door in his face and deny him entry.

"You can't answer your phone?"

The door rumbled shut, a heavy sigh coming from her direction as he reached her computer, set the laptop bag down on the chair and spun about to match her glare with one of his own.

For a moment the look on her face resembled sadness, then it morphed into irritation. "Yes, actually, I can, I simply chose not to." She moved away from the door. "What do you want, I am in the middle of something."

"A workout can't be of that much importance," he groused, taking note of the heavy bag still swaying slightly. He was far from an expert when it came to exercise, but suspected she'd been pounding away on the bag given the half gloves she wore; probably some sort of kickboxing or mixed martial arts since she was also barefoot. Not that it mattered; his questions would surely take precedence once she gave him a chance to explain.

"I need your assistance on—"

"No, you don't," she cut in, stalking – yes, stalking like a sleek jungle cat – towards her kitchen to retrieve a bottle of flavored water from her fridge. "I'm on sick leave, remember?"

Kevin closed his eyes for a long moment, knowing if he allowed himself to get angry she would just throw him out and it would accomplish nothing. "No, I haven't forgotten, but it is clearly bullshit if you can beat the crap out of your heavy bag at midnight." He cautiously moved over towards the giant island that separated her kitchen from the main room, stopping before the high counter, while she remained by her sink. "Do you really intend to do this? Keep a possible solution from Darien over… over this?"

She downed a long swallow of the water, meeting his eyes all the while. "Looks like."

Kevin blinked, figuratively and literally, truly not expecting that response. It left him speechless for several long minutes as he tried to think of just one thing that might persuade her to change her mind and help him.

"So you'll abandon him instead."

Her face tightened for an instant though in anger or guilt he could not be certain. "There's no one to abandon. D's gone."

Kevin frowned, not liking the defeatist attitude of hers one iota. "No, he's not," he stated emphatically. "He's still in here."

"You hope."

Kevin sighed, kind of hating that she could be correct, that Darien could be gone for good. "Yes, I  _hope_." He shifted, wanting to move closer, but somehow knowing it was too soon. "I'd like your help to make certain of that."

Alyx shook her head. "The Official won't let you leave. Without you the project is at a standstill."

"I don't believe that. The work you and Claire have done is incredible. It will take me months to get up to speed and accomplish anything of value."

Alyx tipped her head to the side. "You heard Claire, I'm not smart enough."

Kevin laughed. "Even I know that is the furthest thing from the truth. Claire is playing the Official's game for whatever reason. Trying to balance his needs with Darien's, which doesn't do me any good. The Official wants a removal technique, I presume to restart the project with new glands… the same glands, and I don't want any part of that. If there are to be new glands and new invisible men I need to create a new gland, one without the existing problems. And for that, I  _need you_."

"No, Kevin, you don't."

"Yes, I do," he insisted, not liking her continual efforts to marginalize his work. "By some miracle I have the chance to finish what I started and do it correctly this time. No mistakes, no more madness, no more people dying because I miscoded a gene sequence."

She looked away from him, eyes closing for a long moment before saying, "Ah yes, the great Kevin Fawkes and his lofty goals to save mankind from itself." Once done, she turned back and met his eyes, hers startling bright in the lighting of the room.

The words didn't surprise him as much as she probably thought they should. He fully suspected that she'd only heard the worst about him from Darien, and part of him couldn't deny the truth to those words. That had been his goal, with the Official's aid. Use the gland, the invisibility to better the world, to stop terrorists before they had a chance to perform their evil deeds. Granted he had never really thought about  _how_  they would be accomplishing those tasks, but he had nothing but good intentions. Though to be realistic he knew his work could be used for the exact opposite. Hell, that had been Arnaud's plan; to sell the glands to the highest bidder and then force them to come to him and pay a premium for the Counteragent. "Are you always such a bitch?"

He braced for impact, suspecting his choice of words had gone over like a lead balloon, but pushing her buttons was his intention on this occasion. She had herself so closed off that he would get nothing out of her, so he went for the sucker punch in an effort to get that visceral emotional response. He was quite disappointed to see his effort fail.

She leaned back against the counter, shoulders slumping. "Nope." She shrugged. "It happens every now and then though." She stripped off the gloves and tossed them on the counter, using the time to get herself back under control he presumed. "I can't help you, Kevin, more I won't."

Kevin didn't understand, possibly couldn't. She had drawn a line in the sand and refused to cross it… even to help Darien. "I'm not asking for the Official, or Claire, or even for me; I'm asking for Darien. Help me help him."

"That's all you want? To help him. Not to complete your research?"

"Is there any reason I can't do both?"

"Are you certain you can?"

Kevin must have looked as confused as he felt, but Alyx swallowed down her ire and played it cool. "Of course I can. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because  _you_  are nothing but an echo. A what if. A might have been.  _You_  are not real."

She said this in such a matter of fact tone of voice that Kevin had to rewind and mentally replay what she had said a couple of times before it really registered. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands trying to not allow his frustration to show. "You think I don't know this? Every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded I'm on borrowed time in a borrowed body. Aside from you clearly not wanting me here, what does that have to do with anything?"

A frown crossed her features. "I never said I didn't want you here."

Okay, that was true enough he supposed, but it remained a fact that she greatly disliked Darien sharing his body. "You're worried about Darien; would be no matter who had been brought back via this protocol," he stated, coming to the only obvious conclusion.

She nodded in agreement with his summation. "He's so happy to have you here, but it's killing him."

Kevin sighed, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as he fidgeted, wanting to pace, but not wanting to disturb the delicate balance they seemed to have come to for the moment. "I know," he admitted. "The simulations I've run… Does Dairen have mRNA on file?"

Alyx's eyes widened as his meaning registered fully. "Shit. Do you really think we might need to reboot him?"

"You live for computer metaphors, don't you?"

She produced a wan smile for him that told him more than words ever could. She was deeply upset by this situation, but made every effort to put on a brave face for him, though he suspected what she really wanted to do was break down and cry. "When your head is wired as a living computer it's kind of inevitable."

"With mRNA, Darien could theoretically host anyone – dead… or living." He hadn't wanted to bring that out into the open when they had no choice but to face it, but could not justify leaving her in the dark. Even if he were to vacate the premises, they could just do this again.

"I am aware. In fact, if D happens to get wiped with this, it would make it simpler to repeat. What with no dominant personality to overcome and all."

Kevin nodded in complete agreement. "Making him a blank slate. Wipe the old, plug in the new." He flung his hands up in frustration. "I'm sorry, Alyx, this was not something I could have predicted."

"Don't be sorry,  _fix it_ ," she told him bluntly.

"I want to, but I need help," he reiterated for the umpteenth time.

"You have Claire."

"You keep saying that as if it will change anything. I need you. I suspect that your grasp of the intricacies of this version of the gland are well beyond hers… and I doubt anyone but myself has realized this."

She shrugged. "Not my problem."

He snorted in derision. "It is if you want Darien back and me out of his head for good."

She smiled, a real smile, though it failed to touch her eyes very deeply. "And you called me a bitch? Why don't you just toddle back to the Agency and play good little boy and do what the Official wants… like always."

"And now we're right back where we started. You'll tell me I don't have to do anything the Official wants, from the gland removal to designing new ones, and then the name calling will start again and…"

She laughed softly. "Okay, try this: if I'm so learned on this version of the gland, why would the Official need you to create a new one?"

He managed to not sneer, but barely. "Knowing the current version does not mean you are capable of designing a new one. One that lacks all the defects of the first two."

She chuckled. "We have Peter Donovan's notes, it wouldn't be  _that_  difficult to design a new version."

He kind of hated the fact that she was correct about that. All the information was there, and it wouldn't be that much of a challenge for a skilled scientist, such as Alyx or Claire, to create a new, improved version based on the data available. However, the delicate connections needed to be made during implantation would necessitate a highly skilled surgeon, unless… unless he could program the connections into the DNA of the gland. Implant and allow it to seek and find the correct locations, growing far more naturally into the human brain and then… then program the reverse as well, the gland shutting down and detaching itself after a chemical switch had been administered. Oh, dear lord, what a perfect solution to the problem. He could see the modified gland design dancing before his eyes and merely needed time to put all the information down on paper to review later at his leisure.

His mind shifted then, jumping to how this particular idea could apply to the existing gland, to be specific the one so screwed up by the toxin that any solution he or Claire had come up with had caused the patient to go into shock and die due to the sudden lack of production of chemicals the host had become addicted to, when realization struck. "You… you already have a solution to the removal issue."

Alyx didn't react, didn't even flinch at his statement, which meant he was on the right track. Oh, how very sneaky and slippery she could be. Her subtle hints and pushes towards the answer that he had ignored and Claire had dismissed out of hand. Why hadn't she just told him? Why had she instead chosen to let him continue to work a problem that led only to a dead end? Dead, being the operative word here. Comments of the Official came back to him, all of which implied that he had suspected Alyx had been playing her own game all along. Her own words backing that up. If he were right, if she did have a solution there was little chance she'd come up with it here on a computer system that was probably being watched by Eberts, which meant she did the real work at another, far more clandestine location. And that meant… "You have your own lab," he stated aloud, as it was the only logical conclusion, "and you don't want the Official to know about it. Why?"

Alyx sighed heavily, one hand rubbing her forehead. "As you've clearly figured out everything else, you tell me."

He shook his head, not really wanting to play this game right now, but his mind still went at the problem, chasing down all the possibilities he could imagine until coming up with not one, but several conclusions. "You think he's trying to claim it for himself," he finally said.

"For the Agency, more like."

"So you  _do_  have a lab."

"I will neither confirm or deny that," she growled, moving out of the kitchen and towards her dining area where she picked up a sweatshirt and pulled it on, wrapping her arms about herself as if suddenly cold.

He wanted to rush to her and shake her until she told him everything, but some part of him held back, trying to work out why she had kept the lab hidden from everyone at the Agency. He concluded that she must have other research going on alongside that she had done on the gland. "That's where you got the Counteragent from, your lab. You have everything don't you? Are you doing other work? Research into the QSX project? New glands?"

"Kevin, damn it, I will not having you butting your head into my projects. Not now, not ever. I'm a big girl and can handle it myself." She didn't shout, didn't yell, in fact, hadn't even raised her voice, but for all that had still effectively shut down his budding enthusiasm for her, obviously, private research. And he suspected it wasn't a matter of the work being proprietary, so much as personal. What she did wasn't for her, not really. The work on the gland had been for Darien and no one else, most especially not for the Agency and the Official. He suspected she did little or nothing for herself on any given day.

He wanted to know, wanted to see all the work she had done, but realized she was correct, even though she'd never made the statement out loud, it was none of his business… except for one small facet, even though all her work had been based on his own, and, while he felt very possessive of his designs, he knew he had to let it go.  _He_ , Kevin Fawkes, was, as she had pointed out, quite dead and had therefore given up any rights to the research. Hell, most of those rights actually belonged to the Agency anyway as they had exclusive use of the technology, which had been very carefully worded in the contract he had signed when coming on board.

"May I see the solution you came up with?"

"Why? So you can tattle to the 'Fish?"

He shook his head. "No. I wouldn't do that." Oh, once upon a time he would have, but no longer. There was little point and right now he needed her trust more than the Official needed to know she'd outsmarted him.

"Why not?" she asked in what sounded like actual curiosity.

"Because I cannot guarantee the Official will ever allow Darien to know about it. I am very certain you will." He knew this, more he felt it in his… Darien's bones. She would always have his brother's best interests at heart even if it meant walking away to save him. He suspected that Alyx wouldn't even think twice if asked to sacrifice herself for Darien, she'd do it because for her there were no other options. Though, he suspected, she'd make certain to try to work it in such a way that there would be no double-crossing… ever.

She looked indecisive, perhaps still concerned that his first loyalty was to the Agency and the Official and not to Darien… his family, what little remained of it anyway. "It's still in final testing, but looks exceedingly promising," she explained, walking slowly in his direction.

"But you think it'll work?"

"I'm certain of it." Complete and utter confidence. When Kevin did nothing but wait patiently for her to come to a decision she said, "All right. Let me boot up the drive and you can review my data while I get cleaned up. I'll answer what questions I can after that, okay?"

"Perfect," he responded, trying not to let his excitement escape, as she might change her mind about sharing. "You love him, don't you?"

She gave him a tired smile. "That is far too simple a term for what I feel for him." She stepped past him and over to a shelving unit on the wall near her bedroom area, she moved a few items aside and withdrew an external drive, which she carried over to her computer and plugged in. "And I will do everything in my power to see to it he is treated as he deserves to be."

An odd turn of phrase in Kevin's opinion, as if she were taking due care with words, perhaps afraid to reveal too much of herself to him. Maybe Claire had a good reason to be jealous, as it dawned on Kevin that under different circumstances he would have been more than willing to take the time to get to know Alyx on a personal level. The fact that her nearness caused the body he wore to react in ways that clearly indicated that Darien was very attracted to her even after having been together for several months was significant. The scent of her pheromones more than enough to cause tightness in the lower parts of his anatomy, looking into her eyes causing that twist about his heart, a smile making him long for her touch… Kevin shook his head, trying to clear away those images. He'd been in this body for too long already, its reactions melding with his own and blurring the lines between his sense of self and his brother's.

If this removal technique was as viable as she claimed, he could move on to other endeavors, specifically a way to remove his mRNA from the gland. He'd start with the simplest method, the one that had worked when Cole had taken over the body for a short time, the anti-peptide shot. And if that didn't work… well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Kevin?"

He came back from his deep thoughts with the impression that Alyx had been calling him for some time. "Sorry, planning ahead."

She quirked one eyebrow upward, which looked so very endearing, and waved for him to sit in the chair before the desk, his messenger bag now on the floor. "Start with the overview," she suggested as he sat. "I'll be out in a few minutes." She patted him on the shoulder then left, heading for the nearby bathroom, apparently not having a single quibble about showering with him in her apartment.

He turned to the already open file, a report with a stunningly dull title of Quicksilver Gland Removal Technique 7-D, which gave Kevin a fair guess as to how many failures there had been prior to this one. He dove right in, following her report with ease and no little astonishment. Paradigm shift indeed. Not only had his base assumption been completely wrong, which made him wonder what other blatant mistakes he may have made by holding onto incorrect hypotheses, but he'd been coming at the problem all assbackwards, as Darien would say.

No, she had made an intuitive leap that was genius, pure genius, and based on what he'd read so far  _would_  work.

He only wished he had been the one to think of it, it was so brilliantly simple in design and execution. Of course, he might have if he hadn't died. No, he should give credit where credit was due. She, Alyx had come up with this, with help from her lab and achieved what he had thought as impossible – removal of the gland while the toxin producing cells remained active.

 

~^~^~^~

 

He'd only had a couple hours of sleep, and that had been broken by dreams of Quicksilver gland designs that, in the light of day, he felt eerily certain would be possible, which he forced himself to push aside for the time being. He had one task to accomplish as far as he was concerned: remove himself from the gland and allow Darien to return to his life. He and Alyx had spent several hours together going over all her data, including that of the various animals they had tested this removal technique on, all of which had survived with no noticeable problems.

She'd done an incredible amount of work in a short amount of time, duplicating over a year's worth of toxin reactions and Counteragent shots in months, doing her damnedest to replicate everything that had happened to Darien in the animals, and succeeding beyond her wildest dreams. The only incident she had not been able recreate involved the gland being subjected and reacting to a man-made version of the flu, one that had caused Darien to become deathly ill. One that, oddly enough, had been created by Arnaud, on one of the occasions he had tried to steal the gland right out of Darien's head.

Aside from the possibility that the gland had created its own set of antibodies to protect itself against another incursion by that particular version of the flu, which Kevin deemed highly unlikely, the illness itself should have no bearing on the success of the removal design. Now that he had seen it, he wondered why he'd never considered the possibility. She'd modified the inhibitor that slowed the production of the gland's secretions to ultimately shut it down and cause it to detach from the brain, allowing it to be removed comparatively easily. He had created an inhibitor for the original gland; one designed to shut it down completely in order to run detailed diagnostics, but had no idea if it would work with the current version.

In theory, it could be modified to accomplish the same thing Alyx's version did, but the point, obviously, had become a moot one. The deed was done, the solution realized, now he just had to pretend to work on a technique of his own, leading Claire down winding pathways, while actually trying to discover a way to remove his mRNA from the gland, and, hopefully, prevent this Return Protocol from ever being used again.

He parked around back in the tiny lot near the garage when the cars were maintained – using that term very loosely – and was met by Hobbes mere seconds after he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Thank god you're safe," Hobbes stated in obvious relief as he grabbed Kevin by the upper arm and pulled him towards the building. "You don't want the boss to assign babysitters, do you?"

Kevin shook his head, utterly confused as to Hobbes concern. "Why would he do that? He's the one who said I was perfectly safe given I look like Darien."

Hobbes stopped dead, shifting about to stand so that they were face-to-face, or as close as possible anyway given the drastic height difference. "You still haven't turned on your phone, have you?" he asked in exasperation.

"My phone?" He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the dead screen. "It would appear I forgot to charge it," he informed Hobbes who looked ready to smack him upside the head, and probably would have if he had been Darien and not Kevin. "Why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter?" Hobbes repeated, only with his voice sliding up an octave in worry. " 'Cause no one could find you, that's why?"

Kevin still remained in the dark as to why the sudden concern of his wellbeing. "I am perfectly fine as you can see, now if you will excuse me I have work to do." Kevin tried to step away, but Hobbes moved faster and put himself between Kevin and his goal of the stairwell at the end of the hall.

"Fawkes, they're still cleaning up your lab."

Kevin sucked in a breath and counted to ten slowly wishing Alyx were here to explain just what the hell was happening in her usual succinct and straightforward manner. "What happened?"

Hobbes paused, as if reviewing their conversation for the last several minutes then smacked himself in the forehead. "Sorry, been here since well before dawn. Arnaud escaped last night, ransacked your lab, and tried to damage the main computer – without success thanks to the kid's security upgrades."

"Oh crap," Kevin muttered, then took off at a dead run for Lab Three. There he found several agents slowly making their way through the piles of rubble. Granted not all that much had been stored in the room, as he worked off his assigned laptop instead of the main system, but Arnaud's laptop had been left in a secure lockbox, which now sat open, the door ripped off from the hinge side – the weak point he had drift into his mind, which had to be from Darien's knowledge set as he knew it was not from his own – the laptop, that all important laptop with the data they desperately needed nowhere to be seen.

Hobbes finally caught up then, skidding to a stop in the doorway, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "Fawkes, I tried to warn you all your data is gone."

Kevin spun about and snapped, "No, it's not." He patted the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "My data is right here. However, Arnaud's computer is gone."

Hobbes frowned. "Damn it. And all the Quicksilver data you needed with it. Shit." He walked over to Kevin and grasped his forearm again. "C'mon, the boss wants to see you pronto."

Kevin heaved a sigh and nodded, not bothering to argue this time. The Official simply wanted to make certain his investment hadn't been harmed when Arnaud had gotten away. The walk up to the second floor seemed to take forever, Kevin maybe dragging his feet a little, as he really didn't want to deal with the Official this morning, in some ways certain the man knew exactly where he had been last night, which Kevin did not want to give away. Shit, if the Official found out what Kevin knew, what Alyx had done… Well, Alyx would kill him for one, or at least want to, but be prevented by the fact that the body was Darien's. Maybe she'd just go dance on his grave for a few minutes to vent her frustration. Huh, he hadn't thought about that till now, somewhere in this city lay his body, physical proof that he no longer belonged on this plane of existence.

He brought that train of thought to a screeching halt. Metaphysics had never really interested him, neither had theology and his being dead brought up a whole slew of questions that involved those disciplines and he just did not have time to go delving into them right now.

Hobbes swung the door open and gestured for him to enter first. "Found 'im, boss, safe and sound."

"Fawkes, where the hell were you?" the Official barked, with what might actually have been worry peeking through the anger that had suffused the words.

"Doing some research till very early this morning. Darien's apartment is more than a touch cramped if you hadn't noticed and one of the local library branches is open twenty-four hours, so I chose to take advantage of it." Pure bullshit on his part, but could be true as far as he knew, and very much in line with his normal behavior.

The Official harrumphed and rubbed his eyes. "That does not explain why we were unable to contact you," he grouched, clearly looking for any excuse to bring that proverbial hammer down on Kevin's head.

"He forgot to charge his phone, boss," Hobbes supplied with a shrug. "And since he wasn't at home, there was no chance for Arnaud or his muscle to find him there."

"And I'm supposed to believe this?" The Official was plainly in a mood.

Kevin pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it on the desk before his boss, the screen dark and unresponsive. "I got caught up in the work. I'll make every effort to insure it won't happen again."

"As will I. I'm assigning Carruthers and Simpson to you. Between the two of them you should stay out of trouble."

"Can you guarantee they are loyal?" Kevin asked; wanting no part of those babysitters Hobbes had threatened and the Official apparently wanted to make reality.

"Both have been vetted and cleared," Eberts stated, looking affronted at the suggestion.

Hobbes raised a single finger into the air. "Did the kid check them?"

The Official frowned, while Eberts paled.

"I'll take that as a no then," Kevin stated. "In which case I must say no as well. If you must have someone with me, why not Hobbes? Those on the outside would expect him to be with Darien, yes?"

Hobbes twitched. "Uh, boss, he does have a point."

The Official chuckled softly and Kevin could have sworn he felt the jaws of the trap close about him. "Hobbes it is then."

Kevin sighed, resigned to the situation, though given the choice between two strangers and Hobbes, he'd take the seasoned older agent any day of the week. Plus Darien had assured Kevin that his partner could be trusted, he would be counting on that. "Fine. Mr. Eberts, were you able to retrieve any data from Arnaud's computer?"

The lackey shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Agent Silver was quite correct in her assessment of the intricacy of the encryption being used. The only files we accessed were those that Mr. De Ferhn gave us the password to, and that project had nothing to do with Quicksilver or the gland."

Kevin hadn't read Alyx's report on those files, but assumed that if he'd needed the data she would have made certain he acquired a copy even if the Official had ordered otherwise. He would ask her, but for the time being did not worry about it. "Well, at least we lost no data with his escape."

"True 'nuff," Hobbes agreed, "and the injuries were minimal to the staff, which was a frickin' miracle, if you ask me."

"I didn't, Hobbes." The Official admonished. "They should not have been able to get in given the supposed upgrades to the security. In fact, do we know where Agent Silver was last night?"

Kevin flinched. They thought she might have had something to do with his escape? She'd been the one to capture him and bring him in... all against orders. There was no... Actually, he could see her doing that if it would gain Arnaud's trust long enough to get the information they wanted from him, except that Kevin had been with her from oh-dark-hundred on and doubted she would have planned a breakout of this magnitude and leave it to amateurs. No, she would do the dirty work herself and take the blame should it be required.

"Home, boss. I spoke to her just after oh-one-hundred," Hobbes answered without a hint of hesitation and in truth Kevin could remember her taking a call about that time, though she'd stepped out into the hall so he had overheard little more than mumbles. At the time he hadn't cared, as he'd been elbow deep in her research by that point, absolutely fascinated by her solution.

"You don't really think she'd do something like this, do you?" Kevin asked; trying his best to sound shocked that they would even consider such a thing.

Hobbes laughed. "Oh hell, yes, but she would have had me in on it, so I'm pretty damn certain these were Arnie's goons."

"Not Chrysalis?" Kevin suggested and had to refrain from laughing at the sudden looks of shock on the faces of his boss and his right-hand man.

It took the Official a moment to gather his wits about him, but once he did he said, "Why should Chrysalis have any interest in Arnaud?"

Kevin sighed and did not rise to the bait, there was little point in challenging him over the Chrysalis/Stark connection with Arnaud right now. The man wanted it to not exist so it wouldn't.

Hobbes cleared his throat loudly to get Kevin's attention, but he knew when to not beat a dead and decaying horse.

"With Lab Three currently unavailable, where shall I be working today?" Kevin finally asked, sidestepping the whole potential argument neatly, he hoped.

"Since you were already working with the Keeper we thought Lab One-oh-one would do for the time being," Eberts answered as if it hadn't been planned all along.

The Keep was far more secure than any of the other labs, and probably the most heavily bugged - according to Alyx anyway. Kevin stifled the sigh. They wanted him contained and controlled as if they expected him to suddenly turn into a raving lunatic and go screaming through the halls with his hands waving over his head, and not due to an overdose of the toxin. He could only wonder when they had begun to worry over the hosting, because no one had spoken to him about any new concerns. Of course, that didn't mean there weren't any. This was a mess all the way around, and here he was, a ticking time bomb, with no one knowing when he would go off, or, even worse, how. When all was said and done, he might be all that was left. Darien gone and the mRNA merged with the gland so fully that his memories had taken over Darien's mind. His brother dead for all intents and purposes; to be replaced by the soulless remains of a dead man.

No wonder Alyx had trouble being in the same room with him. He doubted he'd be half as calm and collected had the roles been reversed.

"That will be fine," Kevin responded, not caring where he worked, so long as he could get started.

"C'mon, Doc, I'll walk you down," Hobbes said, tugging on Kevin's shirtsleeve to get him moving. Once in the stairwell Hobbes asked, "You okay there, Doc?"

"I'm dead," Kevin answered, voice flat.

"Yep, you are," Hobbes agreed, but without animosity. "But Fawkes... Darien ain't. So, what are you going to do about that?"

In a soft voice he answered, "Whatever I have to."

Hobbes nodded. "Good. You talking to the kid?"

"You telling the 'Fish?"

Hobbes eyebrows went up at Kevin's use of the Official's nickname. "Not planning to unless it's a life or death situation, you gonna be causing any of those in the near future?"

Kevin chuckled. "I hope not."

"Then what happens off the clock will stay off the clock, agreed?"

"Agreed. And if I could use some of your... expertise?"

"You heard the boss, I am at your disposal," Hobbes told him, looking both honest and sly at the same time which was one hell of a trick Kevin had to admit.

"Excellent. I may have need of your unique skill set in the near future. For now, however, delivering me to Claire will have to do." Kevin had hours and hours of work to do, most... all of which will be utterly useless. Thankfully, he could multitask and work on two problems at once, though he didn't expect either one to be easy on this occasion. Sneaking out a dose of the anti-peptide shot was going to be the trickiest part of his day, the only more difficult part would be giving it to himself since it needed to be injected directly into the gland. Perhaps Alyx would assist with that task?

He wouldn't know until he asked, but until then he needed to pretend to work on the removal solution and lead Claire down a wrong path for the sake of his brother.

 


	13. Chapter 13

The headache was mostly gone, but Kevin's irritation remained and would until he had found a real solution. He'd known the chances of the anti-peptide shot working had been exceptionally low, but had had hope no matter how faint. Had even gone so far as to leave a note for Darien should his brother have woken up instead. That had not happened, obviously. No, he'd shoved a large bore needle into his head, injecting the contents into the gland and crawled into bed in with the fervent hope that his mRNA and therefore his presence would be erased from his brother's mind. So when he'd opened his eyes to see the digital numbers of the clock proudly proclaiming seven-oh-two disappointment had been the least of what he'd felt.

Now he would have to start over, sadly, with no true idea of where to begin. Oh, he knew Jennings had injected him with some sort of personality suppressant, but that was all. The chemical components were a complete and total mystery and, aside from a lucky guess, would need to resort to trial and error… Which meant mostly error at first. He could program a simulation or two to narrow the field, but his laptop did not have the power to support it, and he dare not do this on the mainframe at the Agency. If the Official got wind of him trying to make an escape the noose would surely tighten and Hobbes' somewhat lackadaisical version of babysitting would turn into something far more confining and probably involve fetters and that cell in the basement Arnaud had so recently occupied.

Unless he wanted to spend months, if not years, looking for a solution he would have to access Jennings' files… somehow, and he doubted asking the man politely would gain him anything. Yes, he could spin a tale to the Official that the hosting was damaging the gland, which might be the only thing that would work, as the loss of Darien seemed to be a non-factor, but wanted to hold that back as a last resort.

Kevin swung open the door to the Fifth Street Diner and spotted Hobbes after a moment, seated at a back table with two huge mugs of coffee and several Danish on a plate before him. Once Kevin had sat Hobbes pushed one of the mugs towards him and waved at the plate.

"What's this for?"

"Fuel," Hobbes answered. "You look like you've dropped five pounds at least. You need to eat."

Kevin curled his lip at the choices, all of which were high calorie and high fat. "Is there nothing even vaguely healthy here?"

Hobbes snorted, the amusement subtle at best. "You ain't got nothing to worry about. Fawkes burns off calories almost faster than he takes them in, and I'm betting you've been working through your dinner… and lunch… and breakfast. If you don't eat, that body you're wearing is gonna get sick fast."

Kevin nodded slowly as he picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. A tad too sweet for him, but the sugar was calories and he had to admit Hobbes had a point. The belt he currently wore had been pulled two notches tighter than usual just to keep the pants from sliding past his hips. Not his waist, his hips and that there was a fair sign that the body had lost weight. "I will endeavor to eat regularly, though I don't think it will kill Darien if I attempt to eat healthy, will it?"

Hobbes shook his head with a smile. "Nah, but useless calories are better than none. Though if you ask nicely the kid'll make you some of her TV dinners. Healthy and amazing all at the same time." Based on the tone of voice, Hobbes had enjoyed more than a few of those so-called dinners a time or two.

"She the one who made the pea soup I found in Darien's fridge?" Kevin had discovered it and taken the time to follow the reheating instructions that had been left taped to the fridge door. For a simple comfort food it had been delicious and filling and worth the effort to reheat properly. "Does she play mother to all of you?"

Hobbes tapped his chin thinking about it. "I guess you could call it that, but it's also that she sleeps way less than the rest of us and has the time to do all the little stuff us ords don't always have time for. When she's in town, anyway."

"She can't do it all, can she?" Kevin asked, wondering exactly how much of her free time she spent keeping everyone else's lives in some sort of order.

"Nope, but sometimes it seems like she tries to," Hobbes told him. "Now, you said you needed to talk to me and I got the impression that you didn't want anyone at the office listening in, so…"

Kevin sighed, not really sure how to ask for what he needed. "I need to get a look at Jennings' hard drive."

"Is that a euphemism? I was under the impression you were straight."

A snicker of laughter escaped from Kevin before he could control it and Hobbes' lip twitched in response. "Do you usually mix humor with the serious?"

Hobbes nodded. "Have to otherwise the stress'll get to you damn quick." He tapped the tabletop with a finger as he pondered Kevin's statement. "You're talking more than a quick peek I'm guessing."

"You'd be guessing correctly. If I could copy it, that would be optimal," Kevin explained.

"And if the data's encrypted?"

"Crap. Go to an outside source, I suppose," Kevin said with a shrug, pretty damn certain Hobbes would know exactly whom he meant.

"You're not gonna be able to play with this info at the office, you know that right?"

"I know. I'll figure something out." Kevin frowned, wishing he had more of a clue how to handle this. He was no spy, corporate or otherwise. "Is there any way to easily copy an external without having to steal the entire drive?"

Hobbes nodded. "Yeah, but it's not gear the Agency has. Bit too high end for our budget. There's the old-fashioned way new-tech-wise. Get to him while the drive plugged into a computer and copy the files to jump drives, or even another external for that matter. Does mean you'll have to actually talk to him to gain access. How are you at shoveling bullshit?"

Kevin smiled. "Won't need to, not really. I have a few options for a legitimate discussion with him." Several, actually, all of which revolved around the suppression drug and the hosting. Some would indeed be bullshit, but most would be legitimate concerns on how the various drugs could affect the removal. Though it would be a fair bet that the Official never intended for this hosting to end. If necessary, Kevin could manufacture symptoms that could be attributed to the hosting and be worrisome enough for the good doctor to want to run immediate tests. That alone should allow him enough access and time to copy at least some of the files off the drive. If he were lucky enough he would even get the ones he needed to create a reversal. Then again Jennings might already have one, in which case all Kevin would have to do is create and administer it to allow Darien to return. That would be the best case scenario, of course, but since he was already looking at the worst case he'd lose nothing in trying.

"Talk to the kid, tell her you need a sweep drive. She might be able to acquire one for you in a reasonable amount of time," Hobbes told him, suddenly in full work mode. "Hell, she might be able to jury-rig one for you, I wouldn't put nothing past her anymore."

"A sweep drive?" Kevin inquired; not having a clue what that was beyond some sort of spy tech toy.

"Yeah, it'll copy the files without him the wiser," Hobbes explained. "Trust me."

"Why doesn't the Agency have one?"

" 'Cause the boss is too cheap, and that's what we have the kid for. Now, eat. You still have a full day of work ahead of you, remember?"

Kevin picked up the cheese Danish, feeling much more confident, now that he had talked to Hobbes.

 

~^~^~^~

 

"Alyx, if I needed some items could you get them for me?"

Alyx blinked slowly. "Uh, I guess it would depend on the items."

"Lab equipment, a computer with tons of processing power, chemicals, stuff like that," he told her in all seriousness. "Oh, and something called a sweep drive."

One of her eyebrows rose at that, clearly curious as to how he had come to learn that particular term. He opened his mouth to explain, but she held up a hand to silence him. "I don't need to know, but yes, I can get you one, and show you how to use it."

"Soon?"

She laughed softly. "Yes, soon. Give me a couple of days. It's not something I can run down to Wal-Mart for."

Kevin had figured that, but wasn't about to inquire where she'd get one from, needing that same plausible deniability she was hiding behind when it came to the why he wanted it question. She wasn't stupid and could probably made a damn good guess as to what he planned, but if he didn't tell her she could honestly tell everyone she had known nothing with a straight face. "The other equipment?"

"Which do you need first? Lab or computer?"

"Computer. As top of the line as possible." Kevin had no idea how she'd take his requests, but without batting an eye had been unexpected to say the least.

She watched him quietly for several long minutes before asking, "Are you certain you want to do this?"

He didn't bother being surprised and while he'd planned on telling her of his intentions, realized they would both be safer if he didn't. "This is the one thing I am absolutely certain of."

She nodded. "All right, I'll have what you need to get started tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" That seemed far too fast for the kind of high-end equipment he would need.

"Well, I could take a week if you'd prefer, but I figured the sooner begun the sooner done," she stated in some amusement.

Kevin nodded. "If you can have it tomorrow, I won't complain. Programs, however…"

"You'll have what you need, no worries about that." She leaned back in her chair, picking up the glass of wine and draining it. "You have a place to work?"

"Shit," he muttered. He hadn't even thought that far ahead. Yes, he knew he would have to work someplace other than the office or Darien's apartment, but hadn't thought much beyond that. He could go rent a place, he supposed, short term. He wouldn't need much more than power and space. Perhaps a high-speed Internet connection, but he could probably get by without it. "I feel like I'm asking you for everything."

"Kevin, if you mean what you say… or didn't say as the case may be, then I'll help you anyway I safely can… and, no, it's not my safety I'm worried about. It's yours."

"My safety? The world looks at me and sees Darien, has he made that many enemies already?" He knew the job could be dangerous, his own life-ending experience bore that out, but presumed that the Agency would keep Darien as safe and protected as possible… which wouldn't be possible, Kevin realized, not if they wanted to actually use the ability his brother possessed. And that meant making enemies.

She gave him a smile. "Well it didn't take you long to sort that one out, did it?"

"I'm going to get him killed out of sheer naiveté if I don't start paying attention," he groused.

She leaned forward and set a gentle hand on his arm. "I don't expect you to be Darien, but you need to be aware that his life isn't all flowers and lollipops. He has some very dangerous enemies who would be more than happy to take advantage of your… his sudden lack of care." She got up, taking her plate with her to the kitchen. "I can only do so much to protect you."

"You've been… watching me?" It made sense, he supposed. Even if the Official thought it was perfectly safe, it clearly wasn't and now with Arnaud loose… "Shit. Did anyone inform you of Arnaud's escape?"

"Yep," she answered from the kitchen. "Hobbesy told me soon as he found out. Told you he had a plan in place."

Kevin picked up his dishes and followed her, wanting to do his share of the work after she'd gone to all the of cooking a rather fantastic dinner for him. "Yes, you did, yet I was still certain that he wouldn't be able to get out of the Agency."

She snorted. "Come on now, do you really think he would have gotten away if the Official hadn't wanted him to?"

Kevin froze in place, not liking that accusation at all, and yet… yet it made perfect sense. The Official had never wanted Arnaud or his laptop of data in the building in the first place, it wouldn't have been that difficult to turn a blind eye to any escape attempt and perhaps make it a smidge easier for it to occur. Like, having a few less guards than should be on duty so no one would be hurt. "What the fuck is going on?" he grumbled as he slid the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Good question, but not one for you to answer I think," Alyx responded as she slipped past him and back to the dining table, this time returning, not with more dishes to be cleaned, but two full glasses of wine. She handed one to him, and he couldn't help but agree that right at that moment he needed it.

Kevin gazed into the deep crimson liquid for a long moment then took a drink, wishing things had not taken this odd turn. While she seemed far calmer today, he sensed it was only on the surface, that deep below the waters were turbulent and damaging and he had no idea what to do about it. She needed Darien back and he, Kevin, was but a poor substitute. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "I'm dealing as best I can." She lifted the glass to her lips and drank the contents in one long breathless swallow, then moved to refill the glass. "Perhaps I should be asking you the same question?"

"I'm fine, I think. Hobbes had to point out that I'd lost weight and remind me to eat, so I fear I'm not as aware of this body as I perhaps should be." When he'd taken the time to actually survey his state of mind and body he'd noticed an odd disconnection to the body's needs. He never really felt hungry, didn't seem to get tired, if he bumped an arm into a corner, and would fail to notice the discomfort of the bruise that had formed. Perhaps to be expected since his memories weren't directly connected to the brain he was borrowing, but a worrisome situation especially in light of Alyx's security concerns. He could be seriously hurt and potentially not realize it until the damage had become irreparable.

"There's an alarm in the phone, set it up to remind you to eat," Alyx suggested, placing the glass down on the countertop and returning to cleaning up from dinner. There hadn't been any leftovers to speak of, so it was all about the rinsing off and filling of the dishwasher. He moved to help, but she waved him aside and he sensed she simply needed to be moving, to be doing something while having this discussion. "Kevin…"

"It's okay, Alyx, I understand, at least a little, how difficult this is for you. If you need me to leave I will."

She shook her head. "It's not that, well not just that. You shouldn't rely on me for… for anything really."

Kevin didn't like the sound of that at all. "You're not planning on doing something stupid, are you?"

"Define stupid," she said with a quirk of her lips. "I'll make the arrangements you need, but you might want to stop coming over here after that."

"But wouldn't that be what everyone expects? You and Darien hang out pretty regularly, don't you? And I doubt he'd stop just because you and the Official got into it." Kevin felt pretty damn sure of himself this time. Nothing would stop Darien from seeing his girl.

She sighed softly. "Depends on whether or not the Official threatened to withhold the Counteragent, I suppose."

"But you have your own supply… which Darien doesn't know about. How do you manage to keep these things from him?"

"Sex is a amazing distraction," she replied, her poker face firmly in place. "What he doesn't know can't get him tossed into the padded room."

Now that made more sense. "You don't want him getting into trouble. But what about Claire? Does she know?" Based on the look on her face, he'd just opened one very stinky can of worms.

Alyx said nothing, her look informing him that should be able to figure this out all on his own. So he worked the problem. Claire was employed by the Official, the Agency and answered to him, but Alyx… Alyx might work for the Agency, but her loyalty was to Darien the man first, to the invisible man and his boss second. If Claire… no make that if The Keeper knew about Alyx's lab she would feel the need to inform the Official, which would compromise all of Alyx's work to date and any future discoveries she might make. She wanted control of her lab, to push the research into specific directions, ones that probably would not mesh well with the Official's agenda. So she kept it a secret, most likely sharing what she could on the sly, but otherwise let Claire make her own way with the research.

"She is going to be quite angry with you when the truth comes out," Kevin told her in all seriousness.

"I figured. I think I'll survive." Alyx used that seemingly uncaring attitude to hide behind, but quickly followed it with a large swallow of wine she downed quickly as if knowing he wasn't about to be buying any today.

"You really don't trust anyone else to protect him, do you?" After what he'd learned about her the last few weeks it shouldn't surprise him all that much and yet… yet it did. Part of him still convinced no one should want to care for his brother the two-bit thief and yet she did, with every ounce of her being.

"Not true. I trust Hobbes to protect him, even from himself."

Yes, Kevin could see that. Hobbes would do pretty much anything for his partner, including locking him up to prevent him from doing something excessively stupid. In fact, next to Alyx, Hobbes was the least thrilled about this whole hosting situation. Hobbes would have happily ended this the moment Claire had been rescued, but, much like himself, he hadn't been given a choice in the matter. "You have any luck tracking down who might be pushing the Official's buttons?"

She shook her head. "Confirmed a few who could be but aren't, least not right now. I suspect I'm going to have to dig a little deeper and call in some favors to sort this one out." She frowned, finished the glass of wine, and, based on the look on her face, debated the merits of more. "And I thought finding an invisible man was a challenge, now I'm looking for a ghost."

_A ghost?_   "Wouldn't that be me?"

"You'd think so, but my spidey-sense is telling me no, so I'm still looking."

"Where are you looking? Under rocks?"

"Where else, the past. That's where you usually find ghosts."

 

~^~^~^~

 

"Crap," Kevin grouched, staring at the results of the simulation they'd just spent the last two hours running. Admittedly, he hadn't expected it to work given what he knew, but Claire had had great hope that this method would be successful.

"Oh, bloody hell, don't tell me… shock and death."

A familiar result and pretty much all they had achieved with their effort at removing the gland via what would be considered the only viable route. They'd tried any combination of drugs and treatments, up to and including slowly stepping down the amount of toxin and Counteragent while the host remained in an induced coma, only to have it fail time and time again. Finding the toxin producing cells had gone just as badly and even going on the bold assumption that they had been found and removed, the host still went into shock, the addiction to the toxin/Counteragent far more severe than even Claire had expected. "Sadly, yes." He rubbed his eyes in frustration. They had tried every permutation he could think of and yet none of them had had above a forty percent chance of survivability. Most had less than twenty and that would never be good enough.

Claire looked very disappointed, this particular solution had been entirely hers, and she had very much wanted it to succeed. "There must be some key part of the addiction that were missing. This," she waved at the computer screen, "should have worked."

Kevin didn't disagree on either point. It should have worked, and he had no rational reason for why it hadn't, unless… "Could someone be making certain they all fail?"

Claire blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're plugging data into a program, could it be designed to cause every solution to produce a failing result?" Yes, Kevin had become more than a touch suspicious of everyone and everything at the Agency, but until this moment hadn't really voiced his concerns aloud and hoped to god that if there were a conspiracy that Claire was not involved in any way. That would be most disappointing as he'd been quick to realize after days and days of close contact that he still cared for her quite a bit.

Claire's mouth opened and closed several times, before shutting with a snap, her brow knitting together as she truly thought about the possibility that her… their work might have intentionally been undermined. "In theory, it is very possible. Anyone with proper access could have made changes to the base code. I just find it hard to believe that anyone would do so. The Official wants this solution, why would he sabotage the programming that we need to find it?"

Kevin shrugged. "You are making the assumption that his real motive is having us find a solution."

Claire sighed. "You've been hanging around with Bobby too much," she stated, dismissing his concerns in her tone. "Are you suggesting that all my research prior to your return has been for naught?"

"I'm saying it's a distinct possibility. I doubt the Official has the funds squirreled away to reopen Perseus or find another agent to implant with the gland, especially this particular model with all its defects." Kevin had taken some of Alyx's words to heart, even those he hadn't particularly liked, and had to agree with her assessment of the situation. The Official was playing some deep game, but would dare not lose his primary investment: Darien. Kevin had asked some cautious questions and done some digging of his own into the Agency files and determined Alyx had her own agenda and her loyalty to the Agency was through Darien almost exclusively. She had her reasons for remaining here even when pushed to walk away claiming sick leave, but Kevin had been unable to determine what they were and  _no one_  would tell him. She'd stay until she had no compelling reason to and they she'd walk away and never look back.

If Darien were to be permanently lost, with or without the gland, nothing the Official could do would keep her here.

If that were true, then why would the Official make this move, risk losing not only Darien, but Alyx? Push them away to save them as Alyx had suggested no matter how far-fetched that idea seemed?

Claire huffed in irritation. "I only started using this program six months ago, my research before then led me to where we are now: the need to eliminate the toxin for a successful removal."

"Not disagreeing with that point, at all, but without the location of the gene sequence or whether or not the gland is able to function correctly without it there is little we can do. Assumptions, no matter how well intentioned, will get us nowhere." He shoved the chair away from the desk and got to his feet, pacing away towards the far side of the room, where the wall of refrigerators resided. "Do you have any glands available for direct testing?"

Claire spun about and stared at him with her mouth open, clearly not having expected that request. "No, but I suppose we could create some if needed, why?"

"Gene therapy. I want to try to make the alterations directly. If I can reverse what Arnaud did, then we should be able to identify the gene sequence… and no, we do not need to find the sequence first."

Claire got to her feet, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she paced towards him. "Oh, I like that idea. Plus we'd have a physical gland to test." She opened one of the doors and pulled out two containers of yogurt, handing one to Kevin, who made a face.

He despised yogurt, however, he'd been informed that Darien not only ate yogurt, but ate it often. According to Claire, half the containers in the fridge belonged to him. Apparently, he stashed snacks all over the place, as he was constantly hungry thanks to the gland. Since his talk with Alyx he'd made the effort to eat regularly and often, especially when working long, late hours. Turned out Darien had take-out menus to every restaurant in town that delivered and that they recognized his number when he called. The spy gig had very irregular hours, according to Hobbes, and Darien had the tendency to eat as part of his decompression routine… provided he didn't have a concussion, of course.

"I can't guarantee the Official will agree to the expense," Claire told him, as she removed the top, fished out a couple of spoons from a beaker that held nothing but plasticware and chopsticks, and stirred the yogurt. "We could do it with computer simulations."

Kevin shook his head, staring in dismay at the Key Lime Pie flavored goop in his hand. With a sigh he accepted the spoon and scooped a spoonful into his mouth. He had to admit it wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't Key Lime in any reality except in some yogurt chef's deluded mind. Still, his stomach sat up and took notice and it took an act of will to not shovel it into his mouth. "I'd rather not use sims for the same reason I think the current program isn't working."

"Even if Alyx wrote the program?" Claire stated, one eyebrow rising in a questioning manner.

Anything Alyx wrote was probably worth more than gold, provided it hadn't been corrupted by an outside source. "Depends on whether or not anyone has made some unexpected modifications to it, I suppose."

Claire rolled her eyes. "What say we give it a try anyway? The Agency may not have the budget needed to create the gland tissue we'd need, never mind the equipment needed to store it. I'm afraid computer work is all we may be able to do."

And that just wasn't good enough as far as Kevin was concerned. However, it was looking like he wouldn't have much choice, and since his intention was simply to kill time until Alyx had the equipment he needed to complete the real task there was little point in saying  _no_. He decided it wouldn't be worth the fight until they had some positive results that would then require testing of a physical gland as there remained no way to safely make changes to Darien gland without risking the loss of Kevin. He wondered how long he would have to lead Claire down this dead end before taking his leave. He also wondered if he'd get the chance to actually say goodbye this time.

"Claire, what if I wanted to try the peptide shot?" he asked is a soft voice. As far as he could tell she'd never even noticed he'd swiped one of the vials she'd created, which had surprised him as she had never been one to misplace anything, especially in her own lab.

"Kevin... If it didn't work the first time I doubt it will the second," she said, her gaze a serious one.

"So you know."

"Better to say I suspected. I reported it as a bad batch." She shrugged. "Do you really hate it here so much?"

"No," he answered in all honestly. Hell, he would have loved to work on this project with her, and meeting Alyx had opened his eyes to so many possibilities. There were so many things he could still do, so many discoveries he wanted to make, but he shouldn't...  _would not_  sacrifice his brother's life just for the next great breakthrough. Darien might not be perfect, but he still had the chance to be, a chance he deserved. "But I don't belong here anymore. You have to understand that."

"I don't. There is so much work to do and you are the expert. You can do this, you can fix the gland, make this technology viable and make the world a safer place, just like you and The Official planned."

"And lose my brother, who has blamed himself for my death every day since it occurred."

"A brother you hadn't spoken to in years until you brought him into the project - to keep him out of prison, if I may remind you. Darien had no life, not really, before he joined the project-"

"Stop," Kevin cut her off, not caring about who Darien had been, but who he was now. "It's his life."

Claire sneered, "You sound like Alyx."

"Alyx has quite a refreshing outlook on life, other's lives anyway, she seems to have a blind spot when it comes to her own." Kevin's appetite had vanished, so he tossed the remains of the snack and the spoon into the trash with a grumble of irritation. He didn't want to have this discussion, had hoped that Claire had become wise enough to figure out these things on her own by now, but considering it had taken his death at the hands of a man he had considered his friend to wake up and understand the meaning of life and the people in it, he shouldn't be surprised she hadn't yet come to the same realization. And it was one of those things that had to be learned and could not be taught. "You might do well to take a page from her book."

"I see the cult of Alyx has made another convert," Claire groused, as she stalked away from him.

Kevin stood there in shock at Claire's words, wondering just where the hell that had come from. Yes, Alyx had impressed him more than a little both with her scientific acumen and her skills as an agent, but he hadn't been running around gushing about her, had he? "There's a cult? I don't recall signing up for that."

Claire shot him a deadly look. "You can't be serious, can you?" Her brows knit together. "Have you used that anti-peptide shot?"

"Depends, you going to rat me out to the Official?"

She shook her head. "No, I just want to make certain you... both of you are okay."

"I'm fine," Kevin told her. "The shot didn't work, and yes I delivered it correctly."

"I wouldn't presume otherwise," she said almost as if attempting to pacify him. "You just reminded me of Darien. You usually aren't quite so snarky."

Kevin snickered. "Might have something to do with the fact that I look like him."

"Perhaps." She slowly strode towards him. "If the anti-peptide shot did not flush your RNA from the gland..."

"I know." He set his hands on her shoulders when she stopped before him. He found it somewhat odd to be looking down at her. Back in college, he'd been only an inch or two taller than her, Darien having been the one to benefit from height being the dominant gene. "There's no other option, is there?"

"Not that I'm aware of," she answered. "In theory, yes. Whatever drug was used to suppress Darien should have a counter to it, but I have no way of knowing what it might be."

"Jennings would," Kevin pointed out, willing to take the chance that Claire might actually be willing to help set things right.

"Then you will have to convince him to give it to you. Jennings answers to the Official and would not speak to me at all about what he injected you with; not even in a general sense." Claire met his eyes with true concern in hers. "I don't want to sacrifice Darien either, but I think we should make the most of the situation. Until we can reverse what has been done I think we should push forward."

Hard to argue with that, but to do that he would need to drop the Official's dictate to create a removal technique. "Push forward with what? New glands? Better Counteragent? What exactly do you think I should move forward with? Or should I be asking what direction the Official has told you to nudge me towards?"

"Kevin," Claire squawked and backed away from him. "I am not trying to steer your research in any particular direction at the Official's orders or not."

"Of course not," Kevin muttered, "If he really wanted me to recreate the project he would have locked me away at Perseus with a team of researchers at my disposal. No, instead all I have is you and a computer system close to a decade out of date technologically. It would go faster using an abacus." He stormed past her, heading for the door to the lab, which slid open as he neared it to reveal the Official and Eberts.

"Doctor Fawkes, is there a problem?" Eberts asked as the pair effectively blocked the doorway and prevented his escape.

"Yes, I'm dead and trapped in my brother's body," Kevin sneered. He attempted to push past them, but neither budged an inch.

"Not important. You have work to do, I suggest you get back to it," the Official barked gruffly.

"Of course, sir, we were just grabbing a bite to eat," Claire explained, even though it was a blatant attempt at obfuscation. "We'll get right back to work."

"No, we won't," Kevin argued. "The equipment sucks, to put it mildly, and without the proper resources I will not be able to accomplish anything of value in a reasonable amount of time."

The Official frowned. "Eberts had assured me the equipment available is more than adequate for the task at hand."

"Well, Eberts, would be wrong," Kevin sneered right back. The Official looking shocked that he was talking back to him, when he'd always had the utmost respect even when they'd been on opposite sides of a matter. "This system is archaic and the program we're using ineffectual and producing results that make no sense based on the data being input."

"Doctor Fawkes, I can assure you-"

"Shut up, Eberts," the Official said quietly, eyeing Kevin as if seeing him for the first time. "So you are in there. Make a list of what you need and I'll see what I can do."

Kevin shook his head. "What you can do is have Jennings give me the counter to the suppressor. You do not need me here for the gland research. Claire and Alyx are more than capable of designing an entire new gland system for you, one without the issues of the current one."

"When have I ever said I wanted a new design? This version works just fine for my needs." The Official's eyes bore right into Kevin's. "And Jennings has no counter that I am aware of."

"Then how..." Kevin stared at the Official in horror, completely thrown by the callous tone of voice. "You intend for me to stay. How long?"

The Official smiled. "Till you've finished your work."

Kevin felt his stomach drop towards the floor as realization settled upon him fully. The Official intended for Kevin to live out the remainder of Darien's days and there was no way he would permit that to happen. "No."

"What did you say?" The Official aimed those beady blue eyes of his at him and Kevin fought the urge to cower and beg forgiveness.

Claire surged forward, placing her body between the two men. "Sir, he's been working very hard and needs to eat and rest. We'll be back to work first thing in the morning."

The Official ignored her, his cold look still aimed at Kevin alone. "Kevin, you would do well to remember that the gland is my property to do with as I wish, Darien is doing his job as the receptacle. You need to do yours."

"I'm pretty certain my job loyalty ended when I died." Anger was burning its way to the surface and he could feel his cheeks heating in his rising ire.

"Not this version of you. I own you, right down to your memory RNA. Get back to work." He turned his gaze to Claire. "I want a report on your progress every morning by nine a.m., understood?"

"Yes, sir," Claire quickly agreed. "I'll get that list to Eberts tomorrow, shall I?"

"That will do," Eberts answered with a nod. "Sir, you have that meeting in twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Eberts. In the morning, doctors." And with that they turned about and marched away, heading for the stairwell and the long climb back up to his office.

Claire stayed in place until they were no longer in sight then triggered the manual release for the door, causing it to close, then spun about to glare at Kevin. "Well, that was productive."

"Yes, it was. Just not the way you think." Kevin wanted to walk through that door and go talk to Alyx but knew he dare not right now. If the Official suspected that Kevin was going to Alyx for help their boss would do everything possible to prevent it, even act on those threats whatever they may be, and he wouldn't put her at any more risk than she would willingly take. He turned about heading deeper into the Keep, knowing now that there would be no safe place for them to talk in private.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked, her harsh look softening as she followed him past the oversized fish tank and in amongst the reptiles.

Kevin pointedly did not look into any of the cages or tanks, knowing that there were several snakes in the room. If he didn't see them, he could maintain control, provided he didn't dwell on them. He definitely had other subjects on his mind at the moment. "How did the Official know what we'd been talking about?" he asked her. To him the answer was quite obvious, but wanted to see if Claire agreed with his conclusion.

"I... I don't know."

Kevin cocked his head at her. "Really? You're going to play his game?"

"I don't see that we have much choice, Kevin. If you continue to defy him he's going to treat you as little more than a useful tool, and he will put you under lock and key until you give him what he wants." She kept her voice low, but the threat was there all the same, and it was clear she wasn't happy about it.

"Like how you broke Darien? Three days in the padded room until fully mad and desperate for the Counteragent, then you sweep in and play savior."

Claire didn't look the slightest bit shocked at his pronouncement. "How do you know about that?" Then she sighed. "Stupid question. Alyx showed you how to access the files, I'm sure. Bloody hell. There will be no convincing you that I'm on your side in this."

"In your bugged lab, doubtful."

Claire pressed the heel of one hand to her forehead. "I don't see that you have much choice... not that I'm saying I like it either, but there's little point in doing this work in another lab. My computers are more than adequate to the task at hand." At this point she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. "I wish I knew what to do," she muttered just barely loud enough to hear.

"What do you want to do?"

"My job, but clearly I'm not good enough," she groused, waving a hand at him.

He shook his head. "Not true. If I were the Kevin who'd dealt with this version of the gland, maybe I could agree with that, but I've spent more time trying to learn how this version works than coming up with a solution. My notes are incomplete and do not have the specific details I need and by the time I have it all sorted out, I may very well be a permanent resident in my brother's mind."

"Kevin, we can fix this," she assured him.

He shook his head. "I'm not certain we should. Is this worth it? Is the hell Darien goes through worth the little good he's done?"

Kevin just about jumped out of his skin when an unexpected voice spoke from behind them.

"Yes."

Claire gasped as they both twisted sharply about to see Hobbes standing just inside the lab.

"Bloody hell, Bobby."

"Sorry, Keep, bossman ordered me to keep a more direct eye on the doc here." Hobbes nodded towards Kevin who tried not to allow the irritation he felt to be shown on his face.

"Wonderful," he muttered, knowing that with Hobbes around he'd have little chance of meeting Alyx anytime this evening. He glanced at his watch, noting with some dismay that the monitor was already half full. He had only a few more days before he would need a shot of Counteragent and his hope that it might temporarily allow Darien control of his body had become a faint one at best. "I need to eat before I do anything else, any suggestions?"

Hobbes nodded. "Ronnie's good for you, Claire?"

She smiled. "With matzo soup, please?"

"You got it, Keepy. Fawkes, I'll get your usual... Darien's usual. It's marginally healthy and does the job to refuel him when we're on the job, so's it should do for you."

"That should be fine," Kevin said with a nod. "We'll get back to work, I suppose." He watched as Hobbes pulled out his phone. "You're not going to get the food?"

"After the ass-chewing I just took? No. I'll call in the order and Phelps will pick it up for us. I'm to have you in my sight at all times."

"So, you're coming home with me tonight?"

"Looks like," Hobbes told him straight-faced. "Two other mooks will take over so I can get some sleep, but otherwise, I'm to be with you every waking moment."

Kevin spun about to look at Claire. "I'm nothing but a tool to him."

"Kevin, I don't believe that," she argued, with a headshake that knocked her hair loose about her face.

"Well, you should, Keep," Hobbes said, all business and not pulling his punches, and seeming thankful to be able to voice his opinion. "There's more going on here than meets the eye, but the boss ain't sharing with the rest of the class."

"What do you recommend we do, Hobbes?"

"For now, what the boss tells you to," Bobby answered with a shrug to his shoulders. "And stay out of trouble."

Kevin snorted. "Easier said than done, apparently."

"Well, try," Hobbes mock ordered with a finger wag. "The food'll be here within the hour. Go do what you need to do." He waved at the computers with both hands. "I'll be back in ten minutes, I need to make some arrangements."

_As do I._  Kevin thought; pondering how to get a message to Alyx about the babysitters he'd just been assigned. "Thanks, Hobbes."

Hobbes shook his head. "Just doing my job. You go do yours."

Kevin nodded and looked over at Claire. "You said there was another program we could try?"

"Yes. Let me just boot it up."

It would be a waste of time, but they would work the problem and maybe, just maybe have some sort of success to present to the Official and keep up the pretense.

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

 

 

 

Alyx stood in the middle of the room when he came out of the bathroom, hair still wet from his shower, and he damn near dropped the towel from about his waist when he saw her.

"Shit, Alyx, you forget how to knock?" He strode over to the bureau and rummaged through the contents looking for something to put on. He grabbed some underwear, which he slid on under the towel, without losing his hold on it by some miracle. He then grabbed jeans and pulled them on as quickly as possible, not looking over his shoulder at Alyx, who, admittedly, had seen it all before, to see if she were watching or granting him the illusion of privacy by averting her eyes.

"Well, I didn't want to let your watchers know I was here, and unless you're actively trying to  _hear_  me I can't contact you." He turned about to see her tap the side of her head and he understood immediately.

"Ah, I hadn't realized that." He grabbed a shirt at random and pulled it over his head. "So now what?"

"Do you trust me?"

Kevin was surprised at the question, hoping this wasn't about to lead him into some less than legal situation. He took a moment to think about it, deciding that if he trusted her to have his brother's best interests at heart then he should trust her to have his as well. "Yes, I do."

She smiled.

 

"Where the hell are we?" he asked, looking about at the less than upscale neighborhood they were driving through. The car they were driving through it in, fit perfectly, a late sixties Pontiac GTO that had been rebuilt and appeared to be in pristine condition. The engine under the hood rumbled loud enough to draw the attention of the few locals out and about, but otherwise went unnoticed.

"You wanted a place to work out of the purview of the Agency, yes?"

"Yes, but I didn't think we'd be hitting the wrong side of the tracks. I was thinking of renting a warehouse or the like." Not that he'd thought about it in any detail since his initial discussion with Alyx the other night, though he had noticed some near her apartment with big For Lease signs posted on them, he just hadn't gotten around to making inquiries of the listing agents.

"The wrong side of the tracks? Kevin, you have no idea what the wrong side of the tracks looks like," Alyx told him with a grin. "This neighborhood has seen better days, I will admit that, but they also watch after their own. Darien has contacts here, people who will be able to help us... if we need it."

"I'm not arguing, I swear, just trying to understand. You approve of Darien using these... contacts?"

"Approve? It's not my job to approve of any portion of his life, and those very contacts have helped solve more than a few cases. Ask Hobbes if you doubt me." She kept looking out the windshield, not taking even a second to glance over at him. She didn't seem angry with him, but he suspected she was not happy with his disapproval of Darien's choices... again.

"You really don't expect anything from him, do you?"

This time she did glance over at him. "Nope." She flipped the turn signal and turned into the driveway of what appeared to be a storage facility. She pulled up to the gate and rolled down the window to key in her code. Seconds later the gate slid aside and she drove the car through. They rumbled slowly down the aisles towards the back where the units appeared to be larger and stopped before one that seemed to be triple the size of the average one.

She climbed out of the car, leaving the door open and motor running, and moved over to the door, unlocking the padlock with a key she wore around her neck. She tucked the lock into her back pocket then lifted the door upwards revealing the darkened interior. The headlights showed little more than a shelving unit against the back wall that appeared to contain nothing more exciting than a few cardboard boxes, with such titles as kitchen and living room on them, as if left over from a move. She slipped back into the car, shut the door, then drove the car forward and into the interior of the unit. He heard the door to the unit shut, as she turned off the engine and shut off the headlights leaving them in total darkness.

"Alyx…"

Lights inside the unit came on then, crappy fluorescents blinking into existence to reveal the same nearly bare room, just with a closer view of the shelving filled with the leftover bits of his brother's life a mere eighteen inches from the front bumper. To say he was underwhelmed would be far from an exaggeration. He had no idea why she'd dragged him here in the middle of the night, but hoped it was for something more than a tour of the seedier side of town and this thrilling storage unit.

She opened her door and got out, waving for him to join her.

"Why are we here?" he asked as he shut the door, leaving him standing mere inches from the wall and staring at the tiny space about them. Granted there was a door behind Alyx, with quite the sophisticated lock on it, but was otherwise blank save a half dozen coat hooks, only two of which held anything: a generic mechanics coverall and a pair of welding goggles that looked like they'd seen heavy use over the years.

"You needed a place to work, I made some room here." She opened the door and stepped into inky blackness. "C'mon, I need to know if this rig has enough power for your needs."

With a sigh of irritation, he followed her, the lights coming on once he'd entered the room. The room was nothing like he had expected given the parking garage feel of where they'd driven in, no this was a cat burglar's wet dream of a hideaway. A huge corner table took up a fair portion of two walls, the rest was open, the remaining wall space taken up with neatly racked gear everything from carabiners and rope to welding equipment fuel tanks. Tools were in abundance, along with electronics, and bits and bobs that looked to be designed to beat just about any type of electronic lock on the market today.

And then…then there was what he suspected were the newest additions, an entire server unit along with a spiffy widescreen LCD monitor in the jumbo size, next to which sat a desktop computer he wished the Agency had been able to afford for his project. "How did you get a hold of Isis drives? They're government use only."

She smiled and shook her head in clear amusement at his reaction. "I know a guy," she explained complete with fake NYC mob muscle accent.

Kevin sat down in the ergonomically correct chair and depressed the power switch watching the screen light up with a swirl of colors indicative of the lesser-known brand. Once up and running he used the cursor to access the data on the system. "Good lord, is this one even on the market yet?"

"Does it matter?" she questioned, humor evident in her tone. "The server is already hooked up for processing power, the programs are all on the desktop, let me know if I missed anything."

He looked over the programs she'd provided and found them more than adequate for the time being. Hell, if he needed anything else, then he and Darien were in very deep shit and all this processing power would go to complete waste. He looked around a bit more then found the confirmation he had suspected. "This is a Beta model, final testing I suspect." He rotated the chair about to stare up at her. "How much of your soul did you have to sell to get me this equipment?"

She laughed. "None, I assure you. I told you, I know a guy."

Kevin didn't really believe her. It wasn't like she could pick up the phone and call Steve Jobs to have some towers sent over for her to play with… it was then Kevin remember her real last name and from that the connection came to him easily. "You called your brother, Patrick? Isn't that dangerous?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Besides this is the best computer system on the planet, especially for what you are going to attempt. My brother Jacob uses the current version for his research, as does my lab. I'd get this system for the Keep, but the Official would get bitchy and Eberts would get all jealous. And trust me when I say geek-envy is the most dangerous shade of green of all."

Kevin laughed at that, not about to disagree. "This won't get you into trouble."

"No," she assured him. "The gear gets a real situation test, and my brother gets some very useful data sets to study. Win-win for everyone."

Kevin couldn't fault her for wanting to help out her brother while helping her friends, plus it allowed her access to top of the line equipment without leaving an obvious trail for those who might be looking to find one. "I have the feeling the Official has no idea how good you really are."

"And I plan on keeping it that way." She reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like business card and handed it to him. "When you are ready for the lab equipment call this number and Kat will get you what you need."

Kevin took the card and memorized the number before tucking it into the pocket of his jeans. "And how will I receive the items? It's not like I can have them delivered to the apartment without making my babysitters suspicious."

"Have them delivered here. Joe will make certain they're put in the front unit safe and sound," Alyx told him, the amusement having faded as she spoke. She had quite obviously planned for everything and would most likely have answers for his every question or concern.

"Why do you have this place?"

"Not mine. This is all Darien's. Well, some of the electronics are mine. First time I saw this place was little over two months ago when he taught me to pick locks."

"This is Darien's?" For the first time Kevin realized that Darien took his career choice as a thief as seriously as he had taken his own as a scientist. The unit was clean and well-organized, not what he'd expected from his layabout brother. "Is he any good?"

"At being a thief?"

Kevin nodded.

"Yes and no. His skills are amazing, to put it mildly, but he's a good man at heart and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Which is how he ended up here, he cared too much and it got him caught." Alyx leaned back against the desk, fingers curling about the edge as she spoke, the pride in her voice audible even to him. "He'll never be perfectly comfortable working for the Agency, but he's a natural, almost as if he was born to do it. Even Hobbes has been impressed by how readily he's taken to the work."

"And he hasn't been impressed by you?"

She shrugged. "I'm one of those exceptions to every rule ever written. If it weren't for my abilities being active I'd be as ordinary as it gets."

"Now, that I find very hard to believe," Kevin stated in all seriousness. He doubted she had ever been or could ever be ordinary.

"Believe or not, doesn't matter to me. I know the truth of the situation and you don't."

And that was one hot potato he had no intention of grabbing a hold of, so he dropped the subject and moved on to other concerns. "This set up is amazing and more than adequate for my initial needs, however, I have these annoying babysitters that I have no way of dodging like you do. How am I supposed to get out here to work?"

"The same way I got you here. Quicksilver and drive the GTO."

Kevin rubbed his forehead and sighed. "But I suck at Quicksilvering."

"Which is why the first thing we're going to do is work on that very skill. I've been in Darien's head enough when he's gone invisible that I should be able to share the experience with you. If it works like I think it should then you should be able to trigger the process by calling up the same memory."

Kevin tapped a finger on the desktop, as he considered her idea. Darien's body was well practiced at Quicksilvering, using his own memories and just allowing things to happen as they would, should be more than enough to trigger the system. It might work. The only way to know was to try. "And if it doesn't work?"

"You can try to trigger it manually with injected doses of adrenaline, but you probably won't be able to control the snowflake effect. When your heart rate comes back down it'll shut down automatically, and that could happen when you are not prepared for it." She was matter of fact in her description, which probably meant she'd been planning ahead again.

"But what about the madness? If I'm using the Quicksilver to sneak out here at night, it'll become pretty obvious when I have to request a Counteragent shot days before it should be needed."

"Small doses of Counteragent, just enough to reverse the monitor to the setting prior to use – which means you will need to pay attention to how many segments are red before you go disappearing."

"But how do I… You'll supply the Counteragent, I take it." She nodded. This could work. It would mean going short on sleep in order to accomplish the task as swiftly as possible, but he could do it. Darien could catch up on sleep once he was back and in control of his body. "All right, what do we need to do first?"

 

~^~^~^~

 

The Official was on a rampage and though no one at the Agency had been at fault, aside from the Official himself, he still had chosen to taken it out on everyone who had been foolish enough to come into work today. He'd started at the bottom, actually making two of the girls and one blatantly gay male in data retrieval cry before moving up the food chain to spread the pain around. He'd torn into every agent he could find, including Hobbes who had stood there and taken the dressing down with his arms crossed and a blank look on his face, even going so far as to appear to be leaning into the imaginary tempest caused by the rant.

Then he turned on Claire, and that was when Kevin had had enough. He had no idea whether or not the staff at large knew that he was Kevin and not Darien, and didn't care. Yes, he understood the Official was pissed, but there was no way HR could be to blame for it. He stepped forward, gotten right into the Official's face and told him to back down.

He wasn't certain who had been more surprised: the Official or the employees, but it had brought the harangue to a screeching halt and dismissal of all but the top staff, which unluckily for him, included Darien. In fact, there were only four of them invited to play. Kevin, Claire, Hobbes and Eberts all had the distinct pleasure of being called before their boss in his office even though they still had no idea what had happened.

"Where is Agent Silver?" the Official barked at Hobbes who had taken up position over by the windows, leaning back against the sill, arms still crossed over his chest.

"On sick leave, sir," he answered, his tone carefully neutral.

"She was ordered to be here today," the Official should, face flushing over to red. "I have a job for her and can't afford to be playing these stupid games with her."

Hobbes shrugged. "She don't consider this a game, sir."

"Then she should be here to do her job," he bellowed, eyes wild and face flushing an even deeper red.

"As long as Darien is gone, she won't come back," Kevin informed the room, not that she had told him anything, but it had become quite obvious even to him. She'd chosen to make a stand and he doubted anything would get her to change her mind.

"And you suddenly know her so well do you?" The Official looked ready to explode based on the color of his skin.

Kevin shook his head. "I don't claim to know her at all, but Hobbes does, and he clearly believes she won't be back until Darien is."

All eyes turned to Hobbes, who didn't react to the obvious question hanging in the air.

"Bobby?" Claire prompted, wondering much as Kevin what had happened that had caused the Official to blow a gasket and Hobbes to not care even when his job had been threatened.

"Kid won't be gracing us with her presence any time soon." He met the Official's cold gaze with his own. "So I suggest you figure out how to work without her."

"You want to join her?" the Official snapped right back with.

"Stop it," Kevin yelled. "Hobbes did nothing wrong. You," he stabbed a finger at his boss, "are the one who pushed her away, deal with it."

"Kevin," the Official growled, getting to his feet as if in preparation for a charge.

"Don't bother. I know I have no vote, no say in anything. I'm just a tool to be used and put away when you're done with me. I got it. Just remember, tools break." And with that he turned about and left the room, a very Alyx move even he had to admit, but one that might get his point across. He was no more happy with this situation than Alyx, but, sadly, he hadn't had a choice in the matter. From his perspective he had simply woken up only to discover nearly two years had passed and that he, his body, his reality had died, his body long buried and rotting.

He stopped in the stairwell, realizing with some surprise he'd been heading up to the roof instead of down to the seeming sanctuary of the Keep. He debated for a moment then continued upwards, maybe wanting to discover what solace Alyx found in the heights. Exiting onto the roof, he took note of the brilliant blue sky above his head as he moved towards the wide ledge that ran around the entire roof. Choosing a spot at random, he sat down, trying to enjoy the feel of the warm sun against his skin, but only felt cold inside.

He had no idea how to make this right. No way to convince the Official that he did not belong here, that he was no longer needed, not without spilling the beans and revealing that Alyx had a lab and had already solved the current issue. And without any help from him. Oh, his rescued notes had probably helped, the data they did have combined with that inhibitor she'd come up with all that she'd needed to do what he had thought to be impossible just a few days ago.

Damn, she was amazing. Down to earth and yet one of the most brilliant minds he'd ever had the pleasure to meet. If only…

But he had run out of his if onlys and what ifs. He no longer belonged here and it felt quite strange to realize that simple fact. Yes, Darien missed him and wanted answers, but he had none to give him.

Kevin heard the roof door open, but didn't bother turning about to look, figuring it would just be someone sent to bring him back down so he could get back to work.

"You okay, Doc?"

"I suppose I am," Kevin replied, turning about to look at Hobbes, who stood there with the same blank look on his face, and hands tucked into his pockets, which parted the coat to reveal the gun and badge on his hip. "Come to drag me to the Keep?"

Hobbes shook his head. "Nah, just making sure everything is copacetic."

"I'm not going to jump, if that's what you are worried about," Kevin offered by way of assurance.

"Never even crossed my mind." He strode forward, brow knitting as he chose his next words with care. "Is whatever you're sneaking off to do at night gonna set things right?"

Kevin twitched. There should be no way for Hobbes to know about his trips to the storage unit. He passed off babysitting duties to two other agents when Kevin arrived at Darien's apartment, and then, presumably went home to catch some sleep. Kevin had been careful, following Alyx's directions to the letter, he was absolutely certain he had not been followed, which meant there was no chance that Hobbes knew he'd been leaving the apartment at night. Which meant this was a bluff, and the Official was using Hobbes to ease his concerns.

"Leaving the apartment? I haven't—"

Hobbes cut him off with a wave of a hand. "Do you really think those two mooks got assigned to babysitting detail by accident?" He shook his head. "Fawkes could run circles around them in his sleep, I figured after some pointers from Alyx you'd have little trouble doing the same."

"I guess it doesn't matter if you're going to tell the 'Fish," Kevin groused, wondering if the storage unit had been raided yet.

"Never said I was going to tell anyone. I just want to know if it's gonna fix things, that's it."

Kevin should have expected that. Hobbes wanting his partner back and for things to return to some semblance of normal. He had said he would protect his partner no matter what, even if it meant allowing the alter ego that had taken over his body to sneak out in order to do the research needed to return the wheel back to where it was supposed to be. "I hope so," he finally answered in a soft voice.

Hobbes nodded tightly. "Good. Dumb and dumber will continue to be assigned to you at night, just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine."

Kevin chuckled. "They'll never see me coming," he assured the agent who cracked a smile at the intentional pun.

"Now, what say I get you down to the Keep and back to work, before the bossman decides to send someone else after you."

Kevin sighed and nodded; he needed to keep up the pretense if he didn't want the Official to catch wind of his extracurricular plotting and planning. "Hobbes, are you… watching Alyx too?"

Hobbes shrugged and pulled open the roof access door. "Much as I can, why?"

Kevin wasn't quite certain how much Hobbes wanted to know or should know, but he forged ahead. "I'm concerned she might get into something way over her head."

Hobbes ducked his head, a frown crossing his features for an instant. "Me too, but she's only telling me what it's safe for me to know."

"So in other words nothing."

Hobbes laughed.

"I never knew the spy biz spent so much time hiding behind that wall of plausible deniability."

"Need to know, my friend, and sometimes it is better to  _not_  know," Hobbes told him with an air of one who had known the wrong thing at the wrong time on more than one occasion. "She's doing what needs to be done and protecting the rest of us. And it's something she does very well."

"Does that mean she should be doing it alone?" Kevin didn't believe so, firmly believed that she needed help, a partner to watch her back and see those dangers she might miss.

"No, her partner should be with her," Hobbes gestured at Kevin, "but he's otherwise occupied right now."

Kevin stopped on the stairwell as realization struck him in the chest. Kevin hadn't just taken away her friend, or lover, but her partner, one of the few people she trusted to protect her and keep her safe. "Fuck," he cursed softly.

"Doc, you didn't do this. The Official did this, and for all we know he did it for all the right reasons, but until we get Fawkes back the kid is on her own."

"Can't you help her?" Kevin probably sounded like a child, pleading for help, but he couldn't seem to prevent than hint of whining from slipping into his voice.

"Would love to, but then I couldn't protect your scrawny ass." Hobbes settled back against the bannister, his eyes boring deep into Kevin's. "Kid can take care of herself, you… not so much. So I made a tactical decision."

Kevin understood that, to a degree anyway, but part of him wondered if it had been the correct choice to make. "But was it the right one?"

Hobbes shrugged. "Don't know yet, we haven't reached the end of the game."

Kevin growled softly. "Games? Is that all this is to you, a game? Are we all nothing more than chess pieces, pawns to be sacrificed upon need to gain a better position on the board?"

Hobbes shook his head in what was clearly dismay and not as a negative. "Some days more than others, I'm afraid. Ain't nothing you can do about it Fawkes, we're too deep in to back out now. Just play your part, plan your moves carefully and we all might just make it through intact."

"You're not exactly giving me a lot of confidence," Kevin complained ruefully.

Hobbes snorted. "Good, that wasn't my intent." He got back into motion heading down the stairs, leading the way into the bowels of the building and ultimately the Keep – the innocent looking Lab 101, which had essentially become Kevin's prison. Cameras and audio pick-ups everywhere to make certain he did as he had been told and no more.

"Is this particular game difficult to learn?" Kevin asked, wondering if this were a skill that could even be taught.

Hobbes gave him a grin. "I'd say, given some of the moves you've made recently, you're doing just fine."

Kevin didn't find the response all that amusing, but understood what Hobbes was trying to get across. "So, make my own rules?"

"If that's what it takes to win, yeah."

He could do that. Wouldn't be the first time he'd changed the rules to fit his needs in order to succeed. There would never have been a Quicksilver gland if he hadn't broken a few rules that had been thought to be inviolate. To win this particular game, he would do so again, gladly. "Thanks, Hobbes."

"No problem, Doc."

 

~^~^~^~

 

The soft chime that signaled the main door had been opened drew Kevin up and out of his calculations. The work had been going fairly well, but remained entirely theoretical. Until he could arrange a meeting with Jennings and either acquire copies of the relevant files, or get the information by more direct means, he could play with the numbers all he wanted and nothing of value could come of it. He'd actually designed two different substances that should accomplish the exact same thing that Jennings' suppressor had, but the counters were turning out to be far more difficult. The unique situation between the Quicksilver gland, which was not natural to the human system, and the pineal had been making the work challenging to say the least. The ones he had created would never see the light of day; they were far too dangerous and could be used for nothing of value. Though there was a slight chance they could help those who already had fragmented personalities, suppressing those deemed more dangerous, but without rigorous testing he could not be certain there would be no untoward side effects. And, sadly, none of them would work for Darien.

He glanced at the lone security monitor to see Alyx walk through the main door, closing it behind her. He hadn't expected anyone else, and probably should have been prepared to defend himself as it really could have been anyone outside the door, or paid more attention to the exterior camera, which would have shown Alyx approaching… maybe. If she'd been cloaked by Quicksilver the monitor would have revealed exactly nothing, which made the security monitors somewhat useless he realized with some amusement. He should probably mention that to her given he spent a fair amount of time out here alone.

He heard the door on the far side of the room click open and turned about to see her walk towards him, the all black clothing suggesting she'd been working not that long prior to her arrival here. The messenger bag on her hip bulged, though with what he could only speculate. She'd not called to let him know she had planned to stop by, but did not mind her impromptu visit; he wanted to pick her brain for information anyway.

"I come bearing gifts," she said as she approached, one hand slipping into her bag and producing an odd-looking device. She held it out and he took it with only a touch of hesitation.

It was roughly rectangular, metallic, with assorted buttons and a small LCD monitor on the front. "Uh, thanks, I think." He turned it over to see a stylized monkey sitting with hands clasped on the back. "What is it?"

"Your sweep drive."

"Oh…  _Oh_. Do I want to know where you stole it from?" He watched as she allowed the bag to slip to the floor and then peeled out of the skintight jacket she wore to reveal the equally tight t-shirt beneath.

"Stole? Why do you think I stole it?" she asked in confusion.

"Uh, your outfit just screams cat-burglar in case you hadn't noticed," he observed in wry amusement. If she said she hadn't stolen the item, he believed her.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose it does." She draped the jacket on the corner of a rack, then plopped herself in a chair. "Did an exchange job. The drive was payment."

There was a trickle of red down her arm that he stared at in shock and surprise. "You're bleeding," he informed her, mouth going dry at the sight. Still he moved, setting the drive down on the table before him, swiftly reaching her side to peel up the soaking wet sleeve. "Shit, you've been shot."

She smirked up at him. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Smartass," Kevin grumbled, he reached over to one of the nearby lamps angling it so that he had a better view of the injury. "Doesn't it hurt?"

She shrugged. "I've had worse. You don't have to worry about it, Kevin, it just winged me."

"And when did you earn the title doctor?" he questioned, hoping to get her to shut up and let him help her. "Where's your first aid kit, and don't try and bullshit me into believing there isn't one."

She sighed and pointed at a cabinet across the room. He walked over to it and found a first aid kit that would do any emergency room proud. He grabbed every item he thought might be of use, up to and including the suture kit, and carried back over to where Alyx sat with a look of bored patience on her face. He ripped open one of the gauze packets and proceeded to pour a generous amount of rubbing alcohol on it. He poured yet more directly onto the open and freely bleeding wound, causing her to hiss in discomfort. He applied the gauze, trying to clear away as much of the blood as possible so as to better see the damage.

"How did you get shot?" He asked as he continued to work on cleaning the wound.

"Dumb luck, really. Ricochet got me. Wasn't like they had anything to shoot at," she explained. "Security was laughable, just some bad timing on my part. They figured out someone was in the room, but not where, so they went for the random shot method and I got tagged."

"Did you get what you were after?" He frowned, not liking the depth of the wound. It was across the side of her left shoulder, a fair three inches long and deep enough to require stitches. He was surprised it had bled so little given the damage done. "How did you keep the bleeding down?"

"Quicksilver," she told him. She held up two fingers, the tips of which were missing. "Set it on the wound and it frosts it shut, temporarily anyway. Thaws and starts bleeding again after a while."

"And… and you have to deal with injuries like this often?" It was a pretty ingenious method to stop bleeding for more minor wounds. He doubted it would work for something far more serious, like a gut shot for example.

"Often, no, but it happens. Kinda goes with the job, in case you were wondering."

"Looks like you'll need stitches," he told her as he picked up the suture thread and needle.

"No thanks, just a couple butterfly bandages to hold it shut should do."

"Alyx—"

"Kevin, I heal faster than normal and stitches hurt like hell after a couple of days. Just use the butterflies, please."

Kevin hadn't really thought that far when it came to her abilities. That she healed faster than normal made sense in the same way she didn't need as much sleep, but he had no way to know the difference it would make when it came to the healing process. "Sorry, you're right, of course."

"I didn't mean to snap at you," she said contrite.

"No problem, really," he told her as he held the wound shut and began applying the bandages. "You never told me whether or not you got what you were after."

"You sure you want to know?"

He thought about that as he finished patching her up. After his discussion with Hobbes about hiding behind that veil of plausible deniability part of him wanted to say no and forget about it, however, it wasn't likely he'd be questioned in connection with anything Alyx may or may not have done. "Yes, I do."

"I was chasing a ghost," she told him.

"Did you catch it," he asked as he tossed the bloody remnants of his work into the nearby trashcan.

"Nope, but it looks like I'm on the right track." She leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other and stretched her arms up over her head for a long moment, before assuming a more relaxed posture.

"You don't have to do this, you know. This isn't worth getting shot over." He truly believed that, believed that his brother would not want his girl to get herself hurt over this mess, that he would prefer her living her life to the fullest instead of sacrificing it to save him. "Darien is not worth more than you."

Her look turned icy and Kevin felt the blood drain from his face as her sudden anger echoed through to him. "He is to me," she growled, voice low and defensive.

Kevin raised his hands in submission; clearly she had misunderstood his intent. "I meant he would not want you to sacrifice yourself for him, that's all."

"If not for him then for whom? He is worth more to me than anything, and I will do anything for him." Her voice was soft, but the words impassioned. She meant them with every fiber of her body. She shuddered, eyes closing for a long moment, when they opened her look had become sad. "I miss him."

He knew that, knew that she had been hiding her feelings behind a mask that she wore to protect herself as much as him. She felt she had to wear that mask to keep her more volatile emotions in check, because if she didn't the whole of the world could be in danger. And Darien had been gone, completely, for a week now. Little wonder the strain had begun to show. Kevin acting on some instinct he still did not understand set a hand on her arm and squeezed gently.

She stared at his hand for a long moment, then met his eyes with a look of confusion. "Why are you doing that?"

"It… it seemed to be the right thing to do," he answered lamely, not certain he could explain what had been going on since the first time they'd met. It wasn't him, it was the body he wore. "Does it help?"

She blinked at him, looking at him as if one of them had gone insane in the last few moments. "Yes, but it shouldn't have."

He gave her a smile and pulled his hand back. "See, Darien is still here."

"You're saying Darien set his hand on my arm and not you?" she asked in utter disbelief.

"Not exactly," he said. "I just… I've been calling it muscle memory. Sometimes I feel what Darien does, I guess. Like the day he didn't wake up, when I went to you, I just let the body do what felt right and it worked."

"Yeah, it did, but, as Bobby pointed out, it shouldn't have." She sat up and leaned forward slightly in the chair. "So you're telling me the body still reacts as if Darien were in control?"

Kevin nodded. "To some things, yes."

"That's just plain weird," she stated, summing up his opinion of the matter quite succinctly. Then she chuckled softly. "Which could be a touch awkward at times, I imagine."

Kevin sighed. "And has been. You," he pointed at her with a single finger, "have been the cause of most of the issues." Actually, she'd been the cause of all of them, Darien's body had not had a visceral reaction to anyone else, and that somehow seemed important, Kevin was simply unsure how to make use of it. "You are very important to him," Kevin stated with conviction.

Her lips quirked upwards in the vaguest hint of a smile. "I'd like to think so."

"I know so," he assured her. "You know, I never believed in destiny, but now… now I'm starting to wonder."

"What are you talking about?"

"All of us, connected in some way and all ending up working for the Agency." He got to his feet and paced away, the twists and turns of each of their journeys to this same place weaving together as if part of some great tapestry that fate herself had woven together.

Alyx laughed. "Kevin, it was happenstance. Okay, your involvement might have been planned out, with your uncle steering you into government research and all, but you went to the SWRB not the Agency, Claire the DOD. You dragged Darien into this, and while I can understand him taking any option to avoid life in prison, this is not exactly what he signed on for."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Very." She cocked her head to the side. "Have you watched the recordings from Perseus?"

Kevin shook his head. He'd read the files the Official had given him, along with his more detailed notes that had been recovered and reconstructed after being damaged in a fire, but had not been offered the video files, in fact until now had not been certain there were any. "They survived?"

"Yes, they were downloaded to disk daily and were found undamaged when the Agency cleaned up the lab."

Kevin found the nearest chair and sat down not quite certain how to feel about that. "Would there be data that was of use to me on those files?"

"Of course there would. I believe some of your audio notes were recovered as well. Most of them had been transferred to disk as a backup in case of a computer crash. That would be SOP." She watched him with care, as if unsure how he would react to this information.

"So, my… my death is on these recordings?" He failed to keep the quaver out of his voice.

She nodded. "From several different angles. Kevin, why didn't you ask to review the videos?"

"I didn't know there were any, and they weren't offered to me." He rubbed the back of his neck, wishing it wasn't there that the tension gathered. He glanced at his wrist; he'd been cautious using the Quicksilver and the Counteragent, but could still misjudge his usage. He was still at five red and would not need to allow another segment to turn for another a day or so. "Can you get them for me?" Maybe, just maybe, if he watched those recordings he could give Darien some of those answers he longed for. Tell him why he'd asked him to come aboard the project, why he'd trusted his brother with the most important discovery of his life, and why he had sacrificed himself for his younger brother. Why he had died.

"I can, but there's months of video from multiple angles, some with sound and some without."

"And you've watched it all," he concluded. "Which is how you were able to reconstruct so much of my notes. Does the Official know that?"

She shook her head. "Not my fault he didn't think to try that." She stood and began to pace the perimeter of the room. "Are you certain you have time for this trip down memory lane?" She waved at the computers along the wall. "You have far too much on your plate already."

She was right, he knew she was right, but he also knew it was something he needed to do if he wanted to resolve the current situation with a clear conscience. Why he'd done this, why he's chosen his brother over any other candidate had become something he desperately needed to understand, though he was no longer certain if it were for himself or for Darien. He realized it could be Darien's own emotions that were leading him down this pathway. "Shit. I don't know anymore. I… why is this so difficult, it shouldn't be so fucking difficult."

Alyx was there then, with gentle hands on his shoulders. "Easy, deep, slow breaths."

He wanted to shake her off, but could feel the cold trickle of Quicksilver down his spine, which meant he'd become upset enough to trigger the gland unconsciously, making him once again regret using adrenaline as the trigger. "Ah, this sucks."

She chuckled softly. "Looks like we need each other to keep things on an even keel."

Kevin sighed heavily. "So it would appear. I feel like I'm mired in deep mud. This work shouldn't be so time consuming and I can't seem to make any significant progress."

She dug her thumbs into one particularly tight knot. "Is it new ideas, or old you are having trouble with?"

He wanted to rotate about to look into her face, but that knot was beginning to loosen finally. "Uh, old, if by that you mean knowledge I had prior to waking up in my brother's body."

"Exactly what I mean, and I suspected as much."

This time he did twist about to look up at her. "You did? Why?"

"Because with someone as smart as you are purported to be I didn't anticipate having to repeat myself."

"Repeat yourself? You mean you've given me the same information multiple times?"

She nodded. "I have."

He had trouble believing her, but doubted she had any reason to lie. "Why the hell am I forgetting things? You have a clue about that as well?"

She nodded. "I think it's wiring issue."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face in his hands. "And what is that supposed to mean."

"I'm going to go with a computer metaphor since that's what I'm most comfortable with, 'kay?"

"Sure, but keep it simple, some of us aren't as tech savvy as you," the sneer was subtle but there.

"Kevin, no need to get snarky." She sat back down in her chair, a frown crossing her features. "You're a Windows machine and Darien is a Mac," she stated, going for too simple in Kevin's opinion.

"Uh, okay a bit more detail might be helpful, but data is data… isn't it?"

"Yes, but some computers – or brains in this case – are wired for specific functions. A business computer is not going to run the same as a gaming computer, the focus is different. Same can be said for a person's brain. Yours was wired to handle certain tasks, processing large amounts of scientific data. Darien's was wired to memorize how to pick the lock of every brand safe out there; he can do a twelve tumbler lock by feel. Now we have Darien's brain trying to process data designed for yours."

Oh. Crap. "And it's glitching, because it's not designed to handle that type of processing."

"Bingo, you win the kewpie doll." She leaned forward, forearms on her thighs. "He's smart enough, has more than enough neural connections to handle the processing in a generic sense, but his brain is being forced to make new connections on the fly and on occasion they don't stick the first time."

"Which is why you've had to tell me twice." He nodded in agreement, everything she'd said making perfect sense. "So there are a few flaws to this process. What happens after I'm gone?"

"I suspect the added neural connections, like with old memories, will fade with time, distance and disuse." She shifted back into her chair, drawing her legs up to sit cross-legged. "There may be some overlap of memories for a while, but I doubt he will retain the data for any length of time."

"This is all hypothetical, isn't it?"

"Yep, but my hypothetical is usually pretty damn good," she informed him with a grin. "Do you still want those files?"

Kevin thought about it for a couple minutes, then decided yes, there was the possibility they might actually provide him with needed information and he wouldn't pass up that chance even if it did ultimately mean he'd stick around a bit longer. "Yes, however if you could perhaps see to it that I can easily access the most relevant data, I'd appreciate it."

"I can do that. I'll have them to you in a couple of days. Need to move them to an external, otherwise you'll be stuck with a stack of DVD-Rs a foot high." She pushed off the table, causing her chair to spin about a full 720 degrees. "Now, how about a quick lesson how to use a sweep drive?"

"Sounds like a plan. Any suggestions on how to get close to Jennings?"

She shrugged. "Tell him you're having issues, blackouts or the like. It'll sound like the suppressor is breaking down and that Darien is taking temporary control."

"Thus the blackouts." He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that should work. And if I catch him at the right moment, he'll have his drive with him. Does it need to be plugged into the main system for this sweep drive to work?"

"Nope." She waved at the device that had been sitting on the desk all this time. "It won't bite, I promise."

He nodded and picked up the hand-held device, trusting in her implicitly, because according to Darien she never broke a promise.

 

~^~^~^~

 

Catching Jennings turned out to be far harder than Kevin had thought it would be. The good doctor seemed to lurk around the Agency, always there but never available when he needed to  _accidentally_  bump into him, so it took two days before he managed to both distract Claire and find Jennings alone and with seeming nothing to do at that very moment.

It took just a brief description of the symptoms Kevin was pretending to have experienced for the Doctor's eyes to widen and hustle him into the lab he'd apparently staked out for his own. Eberts had managed to create a workaround that would allow Jennings the access he needed to the mainframe and therefore had his very own computer station set up in the room. The suspected hard drive sat there on the table in plain view, but not plugged into anything at that moment. According to Alyx, the external wouldn't need to even be powered up for the sweep drive to accomplish its task.

Kevin had taken to carrying his laptop everywhere with him, which allowed him to keep the sweep drive near to hand, but unseen by everyone. He'd spent the first shift at work with it feeling like he had a poorly designed bomb in his possession, one that could go off at any moment, but when nothing untoward had occurred and no one had demanded to search the messenger bag for suspicious items he relaxed, realizing that no one he would suspect him of playing the espionage game. It just wasn't who he was.

Now that he was here, in front of Jennings with the information he needed mere feet away, he felt his mouth go dry, no longer certain he could bluff his way through this. Steeling his nerves and knowing there was little choice, he calmed and waited for Jennings to gather the tools he needed before he began questioning Kevin in earnest, while he waited for the opportune moment to pull out the sweep drive and use it to gather the files from the external drive sitting mere feet away from him.

He could do this. He  _had_  to do this.

Jennings dragged over a stool and sat down in front of the Agency computer, quickly attaching the cables from the external drive to the desktop. Kevin didn't recognize the program Jennings used, and given the crappy angle he had to the monitor probably wouldn't get much of value no matter how hard he stared at it.

"You said you were experiencing lost time?"

Kevin nodded. "On a few occasions over the last several days. I'll be in the middle of working on something and then… wake up, for lack of a better term, minutes later doing something completely different."

Jennings hmmmed and typed furiously on the keyboard. "Any headaches?"

"Yes, actually, but I had assumed they were from stress and overwork," Kevin answered, the truth far easier for him to say than the creative fabrications he and Alyx had come up with.

"Does one precede the other?"

Kevin nodded. "Headache then the lost time." He had to resist the urge to smile at the worried frown that crossed Jennings' features. Alyx's best guess being right on the mark as usual. "Though the two have occurred hours apart from one another."

"Which is why you did not suspect any correlation between the two." Jennings rotated the chair, removing the stethoscope from about his neck as he did so. Looked like a bit of an exam would be occurring, which Kevin had expected. Jennings went through the usual motions up to and including taking several vials of blood, which told Kevin there had to be some chemical or marker in his system that the doctor would be looking for, and that meant it would be there for Kevin to find. Granted even if found he would have no idea as to its significance, but it would still be more than he currently had. If he could just convince the doctor to leave the room for a few minutes, he should have enough time to make use of the sweep drive and best guesses and suppositions would no longer be needed. He hated working in hypotheticals, and that's all he'd had for more than a week now. It had been quite frustrating to say the least.

Kevin decided to attempt to make small talk in an effort to gain more data. "How long will this take?"

Jennings glanced up from the vials he'd been writing on. "A few hours at the very least, I'm afraid. I need to ascertain why the suppressor is breaking down. All my research suggests that it shouldn't."

The first actual confirmation that a suppressor had been used to give Kevin full control of the body. "Was it designed specifically for Darien, or could this work on anyone?"

Jennings looked at Kevin in clear confusion. "Given I had no idea what I was researching and had no real world application at the time, I simply designed it to the specifications I had been given. It does require that the pineal and Quicksilver glands have forged a neural connection, and therefore it is doubtful it would work in anyone lacking a Quicksilver gland." He paced across the room, thinking. "I suppose it could be of aide to those with multiple personality disorder, but it would require exhaustive testing before I would consider it even feasible."

"But potential real world applications means potential money for the Agency," Kevin pointed out and watched as Jennings eyes lit up, clearly he had not realized said potential for himself, and he looked like he wanted to rush off and inform the Official immediately, which Kevin would not have minded so much. Instead, he swallowed down his enthusiasm to focus on the problem at hand.

"I'll write a report and turn it in to the Official in the morning. Will you be available should I need to run more tests?"

"What kind of tests? My time is quite valuable and the Official is pushing quite hard for me to find a solution to the removal issue." Kevin poured as much ego and irritation into his voice as he could muster, making it clear that his work was far more valuable than Jennings'.

As predicted Jennings frowned, not happy to be relegated to somewhere at the bottom of the food chain in regards to skills and value. "I may need to perform an MRI to make certain all is functioning as it should be."

"Why? Did you perform one prior to injecting the mRNA for comparison?"

Jennings shook his head. "There is a baseline MRI on file, I had planned to compare it to that."

"And an MRI after I had awakened but prior to the suppressor?"

"That should not be needed." Jennings argued.

"Really? So, no changes occurred in Darien's brain once he began hosting me? I highly doubt that."

Jennings rolled his eyes. "Of course changes occurred, new neural connections would have been forged…" He trailed off as realization struck. "Shit. Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to confer with the Official."

"I suppose I have a few minutes to spare," Kevin said begrudgingly, making it clear he would not be patient for long.

"Fifteen minutes at most," Jennings assured him and then rushed from the room.

Kevin counted to a slow sixty, then, after huffing in false discontent, removed his laptop from the bag and shifted his chair closer to the desk, as if planning on working while waiting for Jennings to return. Once set up, he glanced about as surreptitiously as he could manage in an effort to spot any visible surveillance. He located a single camera mounted above the door that did not appear to swivel and therefore had a limited view of the interior. With a little creativity, he was certain he could disguise his movements.

He reached back into the bag to grab the power for the laptop and snagged the sweep drive at the same time. He pretended to grumble about grabbing the wrong item, and set it down on the desk as if not in the mood to deal with returning it to the bag right at that moment. As he went about accessing a plug for the laptop he bumped the drive closer to Jennings' external and managed to turn it on, allowing it to do what it did best, steal data from the nearby drive systems. He did realize it might very well pick up files from his own laptop, and whatever might be on the desktop itself, but knew he'd be able to weed out anything that had nothing to do with the suppressor.

As he worked on his computer he glanced at the tiny monitor on the device, watching the bar fill up surprisingly quickly, taking just over five minutes for it to fill completely and the screen to flash download complete. As casually as he could manage, he reached out and picked up the drive and slid it back into the messenger bag, pulling out the wireless mouse to use on the graphics he intended to do while waiting. He wanted to pull out the sweep drive and see what it had recovered, but knew he had to wait. Wait until he had managed to get to the storage unit, hopefully, later tonight.

It wouldn't be easy, but for this move to count he would have to be patient. Besides, he did have actual work to do on the removal. He and Claire had actually made progress on finding the gene for the madness, narrowing it down to a dozen possibilities. Once found, he needed only to confirm that the gland would function without it and then he could create a gene-therapy treatment that would purge it from the gland. Treatment for the withdrawal would have to be done with care, but it could be managed.

By the time Jennings had returned, Kevin was fully involved in his work and had put any thoughts of the data on the sweep drive out of his mind, while still focusing on the goal of obfuscation. Jennings did not look happy, but forged ahead with the necessary tasks of diagnosing why his suppressor seemed to be failing. Kevin bullshitted his way through the questions, taking Alyx's lead on the symptoms that would be both vague and spot on for signifying the hosting was failing.

After thirty minutes of being poked and prodded Kevin had had enough and told Jennings so in no uncertain terms. "I do have actual work to do, what else could you possibly need?"

Jennings muttered what were surely imprecations under his breath. "I should have enough for now. We will need to arrange for an MRI within the next day or two. Eberts is looking into availability at Fort Levitt. I will inform you when to meet me there, shall I?"

"That will do," Kevin responded, not really wanting to have to go through with the MRI, but he'd been the one to start down this path, he would just have to follow it through. If things had gone well, he would have the information to fix this on that sweep drive. At the very least, there should be a breakdown of the suppressor used, from which he should be able to design a counter. "I will endeavor to free up my schedule when you contact me."

Jennings pursed his lips. "You are as much at risk as the host, so I would highly recommend you make every effort to free up your schedule and cooperate with my requests-"

"There is no need to lecture me, I want no harm to come to my brother," Kevin stepped forward, looking down into the other man's eyes, "so I suggest  _you_  make every effort to keep him healthy." It took mere seconds for Jennings to blink. His eyes widening in fear as Kevin used his brother's much taller body to loom over the slightly shorter man until he dropped gaze and backed away a couple steps.

"I have my orders from the Official, it is you who must not come to harm. Your brother can be sacrificed if needed."

Kevin growled under his breath, feeling an anger he had never experienced before bubble up from within. "Darien is  _not_  a sacrificial pawn." He stalked Jennings and poked him in the chest with one finger hard enough to rock him back on his heels. "You would do well to remember that even if the Official thinks otherwise. I am here for him to fix what I screwed up, and nothing else."

Jennings swallowed hard. "I... I understand, Dr. Fawkes. The Official-"

"The Official already knows my opinions on the matter, so I suggest you find some of your own and not follow the party line." Kevin walked back over to the desk and gathered up his belongings. He tossed a glare over his shoulder at Jennings and then left the room without another word.

 


	15. Chapter 15

 

He arrived at the storage unit just after one a.m., sweep drive in hand and hard pressed to hold back his excitement. Over the course of the afternoon, while working diligently with Claire, he did everything in his power to not think about the sweep drive and the data that had to be on it, but only succeeded marginally well. His distraction had been obvious to even Claire, who had sympathized with his being forced to deal with all the tests Jennings had insisted on running, and concerned about his sudden rise of worrying symptoms. He'd wasted two hours of time going over his faked symptoms and all the tests Jennings had chosen. He didn't care about the lost time from the gland solution, since he had no need for it except as a back-up to Alyx's solution. Just an option should the Official go ahead and foolishly put this version of the gland in someone else's head.

 

Claire had been concerned, but could think of no other tests to run... thankfully. He fully suspected that Claire would catch on long before Jennings would, so made certain to redirect her attention to the job at hand, which she did with minimal argument. They had worked well into the evening, not even breaking for dinner once things had gotten moving. She had been quite enthused about the how the simulations were going and Kevin hadn't been about to spoil her enjoyment with something so banal as the truth.

That had been hours ago, though not many, and he could feel the need for sleep creeping up on him on silent cat's feet, which meant he needed to get his act in gear and the data off the drive. He set his phone down on the desk, made certain the speaker was on, and pressed the speed dial for Alyx. After three rings she picked up.

_"Hey, Kev, what's up?"_

"I have had success, I think, but don't want to screw up accessing the data, so do you have time to walk me through the sweep drive set-up?" He could hear sounds in the background, and she sounded as if she were breathing heavily.

_"Of course,"_  she responded, then grunted, which made Kevin wonder what the hell she was doing.  _"Grab the drive and a USB cable."_

"You sure you're not busy?" he asked, not wanting to disturb her if she were in the middle of something that might cause bullets to be aimed in her direction again. He really didn't want to have to patch her up again, willingly or not. "We can do this tomorrow night."

_"Kevin, I can multitask in case you have forgotten,"_  she reminded him, sounding remarkably like his Aunt Celia when forced to repeat something he should have learned long before.

Kevin chuckled. "No, I haven't forgotten, just don't want to interrupt you if you're scaling the side of a building or something."

She laughed lightly.  _"No worries, just grab the cable and find an empty port on the bottom server drive."_

He followed her directions, carried the sweep drive over to the rack of servers, and plugged the USB into the bottom drive as she had said to. "Now into the sweep drive, correct?"

_"Set it to off, then plug it in. Then make certain it's set for send before turning it on or it'll try to copy everything on the servers."_

"Got it," he told her, not minding the reminder; he'd called to prevent any make any mistakes that could cause the loss of the precious data he'd acquired.

_"Once on it should show up as an icon on your desktop and then just drag and drop the files. Be patient, it'll take a few to transfer all the data."_  She paused, breathing heavily for a several seconds before continuing.  _"How did Doc Jennings take the news?"_

Kevin smiled at the memory. "With abject terror. He was certain the suppressor would not fail or wear off."

_"Which means it was never intended that Darien return. Color me shocked."_  There was a decided growl in her voice towards the end.

"I know." He clicked on the icon when it appeared, discovering gigabytes of data on the tiny sweep drive. It might take him a few days to find what he needed in the files. "Shit, there's a lot of information here."

_"As predicted,"_  she said.  _"You good for now?"_

"I should be, unless there's and encryption."

_"Then use my keys. That's why I loaded them onto the machine for you."_

"Yes, ma'am," he snarked, but there was definite amusement in the words. She had provided just about anything he could need or want when it came to programs, he could not fault her for that. No, any issues would be due to his lack of expertise at their use, but even that could be overcome with just a quick phone call or two. She might not be willing to help with any work in relation to the Agency, but had been more than willing to assist him with his personal goals, if only off the books. And her help was typically just what he needed even if it hadn't been what he thought he'd wanted.

_"I'll be available tomorrow if you need anything. I have to run."_

"Go, I'll be fine," he assured her, "and good hunting."

_"Thanks. Same to you."_  And with that, the line went dead. He suspected she'd been working, breaking into somewhere in order to reach her current goals.

And he thought he'd been burning the candle at both ends, he had no real idea what she did all day and most of the night, but had the feeling it did not resemble anything legal, even if it would help find out who, if anyone, had forced the Official into making these insane moves. He watched the bar slowly fill as the files shifted from one drive to another, giving him an estimate of twenty minutes for it to be complete. A lot of frickin' data, as Hobbes would be wont say.

He would not have time to go through much of it tonight, since he still needed to sleep. For some reason he still woke up right around seven a.m., though he had learned he could roll over and go back to sleep for a couple of more hours when truly exhausted, and he was swiftly reaching that point. He'd been going non-stop since becoming the sole possessor in Darien's body and he could really use a day off, but doubted the Official would permit it. Shit, he was surprised he had yet to be confined to the Agency and under twenty-four hour guard. All the better to get the most use out of him before this little experiment crashed and burned.

This was not how things were supposed to go, the gland had been intended to help change the world for the better and had instead turned into a nightmare for his brother and a life sentence of sorts for himself. Even if he wanted to throw in the towel, he could not just get up and walk away. This wasn't fair and it wasn't right, but he was stuck with it and doing nothing would get him the same: nothing.

Alyx was right, he did continue to go over the same tracks again and again. He had no idea how to stop it though. If it were Darien he'd find some way to break out, to go do what he did best, but Kevin, he barely managed to sneak out every night to come here, if he had been in his own less than in shape body it never would have happened, but Darien... Darien put in the effort to remain at the top of his game in all things. Not only did he keep in shape, but kept his mind in peak condition, not just by reading the newest in science - clearly an effort to assist if only peripherally in the gland removal research - but in his chosen profession as this storage unit attested to. Kevin had no idea how often Darien came here, but the tools and gear available made it clear he practiced those unique skills he had learned, and quite often. While Kevin looked at his brother's job at the Agency as going legitimate, it was obvious that it required the same, or at least a very similar skill set as his own assist on the rescue of Claire attested to. Aside from his criminal background, Darien was a perfect fit for the life of a spy, which Kevin found more than a little odd.

Perhaps... perhaps he hadn't been the only one groomed for a life of government service, maybe the plans for Darien had just been a bit more long-range. Though that would mean Kevin's saving of Darien from a life in prison had been planned, and that he doubted. How could anyone have guessed that Darien would insist on following in their father's footsteps and become a thief, especially while living with Uncle Peter and Aunt Celia, who had made every effort to instill proper values and mores in the troubled child. If they had still been living with their parents, maybe, but they had left the boys orphans at what would be considered a very tender age and long before either of them had any real idea what they had intended to do with their lives. Okay, so maybe Kevin had already known, there was little chance he wouldn't go into science, but the neuroscience interest had been sparked by Uncle Peter, before that Kevin had wanted to be a doctor, treating patients and saving lives. So, it could be argued that some facets of his life had been mapped out by others, but unlike Darien, he hadn't been pushed into anything. He had taken to neuroscience like that proverbial duck to water and had thoroughly enjoyed expanding his knowledge and the field.

Darien, on the other hand, had survived high school with good marks, and, with a recommendation from Uncle Peter, got into medical school, but washed out after a couple of years, mostly out of disinterest in higher education in general, or so Kevin had thought. He now suspected that it was due more to his strengths lying elsewhere, and he didn't mean thieving. If Darien had gone into literature and philosophy, he probably would have excelled. Kevin had learned more about who his brother really was in the last few weeks through his eclectic book collection than the many years they had lived together in the same house as family.

Given his years full of nothing but bad attitude, he had turned out to be a pretty amazing man. Loyal to a fault and wise beyond his years - years in and out of the California prison system will do that to anyone - and yet still having hope with the coming of each new dawn. He cared, and deeply, for those he called friends and would risk pretty much anything for them based on what Kevin had learned during his time here. Hell, he'd voluntarily given up half his life to his dead brother just to save Claire, a woman he probably should have reviled given her position as Keeper, but instead called her friend and meant it.

He had turned his life around and yet... yet he was still the same trouble-making brat Kevin remembered with no fondness at all. If it weren't for the side-effects of the gland, he suspected his brother would have been long gone once escaping the confines of Perseus. And if everything except the Madness had played out the same, he could see Darien hunting down Arnaud and getting the vengeance he wanted for his dead brother. After that, however, unless the Official managed to track him down and contain him, he would have surely taken up his life of crime once again and used the invisibility to steal whatever he wanted. Hell, one fair sized casino robbery in Vegas would set him up for years to come, get him out of the US and out of purview of the Official. And the Agency would have crashed and burned without Kevin, Perseus and its invisible man.

Oh, that would have made for an interesting world.

Of course, it could have lead to Alyx being... recruited even sooner and possibly even used to capture Darien. An interesting scenario to say the least, but one he could see playing out in another version of reality.

Kevin refocused on the monitor before him to see that the data transfer had completed at some point while he'd been lost in thought. He stared at the file on the desktop, almost afraid to open it and discover there was nothing of value. Deferring any real decision he chose to eject the sweep drive and then got up to turn it off and disconnect the drive and set it aside, well away from the servers, not wanting to accidentally strip needed files, even though he was certain it couldn't do such a thing.

He then raided the small fridge located in the corner, grabbing a bottle of water, opening it, and taking a long drink before finally turning back to the computer. He settled into the chair both trepidation and excitement causing his heart to pound in his chest. He double-clicked on the icon the drive had left behind and watched as it opened, not expecting there to be another file within that read 'suppressor solution here' or something similar. No, this wouldn't be that easy. It would take him hours to go through the files to find what he needed, but he had hope.

And hope, much like in that box Pandora had opened, was all he had left.

 

~^~^~^~

 

_I just stood there, frozen. I couldn't wrap my mind around what she was saying. She wasn't leaving. She was staying. Because of me. It had been such a long road to get here that I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Her next words broke me out of my aimless mental circling._

_"Apparently that was a mistake," she said, releasing my hand and going back to her bed, where she leaned her head against one of the bedposts._

_The absolute despair in her voice brought me back to reality. She was here because of me, and I was hurting her with my silence. Isn't this what I had wished for, prayed for, dreamed of for the last month? Here she was in front of me, and I was being an idiot. Not like that was a new experience or anything._

_I walked up behind her and put my hands on her bare shoulders. "Getting yourself shot was a mistake. Coming home never is," I said quietly._

_"It was the best plan I could come up with. The month of unconsciousness," she said turning around to face me, "that was not part of the plan."_

_"Next time you'll have to do better," I said softly as I leaned in to kiss her._

_This I had missed. The stolen moments when she would let her guard down and allow me to touch her, feel her, be with her. No masks, no pretenses. Nothing compared to it. Nothing ever would. And then she folded. Her legs giving way beneath her. I caught her and helped her to sit on the edge of her bed._

_"Alyx...?" I said, worried. She looked pale and exhausted. Was pale and exhausted._

_She laughed lightly, embarrassed by her sudden weakness. "Sorry. Like I said, I've only been up and about for a week. And it's been a long day."_

_Her weakness frightened me. Her ordeal had taken her body from slender to painfully thin, and she had already gone to D.C. and back when she probably should have been in a hospital. The Official had, in all likelihood, her doing work the rest of the time as well. Even injured she kept on, doing all she could and more._

_"I should go," I said. "You need to rest."_

_I heard her door slam shut and lock across the room._

_"What I need is you," she stated simply._

_"You don't know what you're saying," I said, convinced that I should leave so that she could have some peace. I was trying to be noble. No matter how much I wanted to stay, I knew I should go. Because if I stayed, rest would not be something she would get. At least, not for several hours._

_"Darien, give me a break," she said her voice gone faint. "You want me on my knees begging? I'll do it."_

_In astonishment, I watched as she shifted on her bed, getting to her knees._

_"You want me to say I've been a fool? I'll say it."_

_I walked over to her and looked down into her eyes._

_"You want me to say that you've been half of my heart, my soul, my life since the first time we met?" She bowed her head down and whispered, "Just please stay."_

_For a moment, I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. Then it hit. Since the first time we met? Hell, thanks to the Official, I had tried to rape and kill her that first time. Only with her help controlling the madness did I manage to fail. All these months. All the antagonism. All the fighting. All the resistance. No wonder she came over before she left - she thought she was never going to see me again. She had finally made her decision. I took her in my arms and she buried her face in my chest with a sigh of relief._

_Breathing in her scent, I said, "Damn it, woman. I thought I'd lost you."_

_She pulled back slightly. "Ha, not a chance. You're stuck with me."_

_That's when I noticed her hair. She had a thin swath of pure silver hair running back from her right temple. "Hey, what did you do to your hair?"_

_"I didn't do anything to it. I guess it wanted a change, maybe rebelling against the brown," she suggested, chuckling lightly._

_I brushed the hair back away from her face and leaned in to trail kisses from her temple back to her ear. Wrapping an arm about her, I shifted us until I was lying above her on the bed and my mouth was buried against her throat. She groaned and I lifted my head to look at her._

 

Kevin realized he was staring at the ceiling of the apartment, the usual subtle shift from asleep to awake, nonexistent on this occasion. He was awake and aware, but the dream lingered heavily upon him, his body still aroused in response to the sexual turn it had taken, but more of him hurt, ached for the pain Alyx had been exhibiting. She had been limping and clearly in need of the cane she'd been using. Kevin suspected that it had been another memory of Darien's, except for the fact that the Alyx he had met did not have that streak of silver in her hair. Which could mean this had been one of those prophetic Quicksilver dreams that had been mentioned, one that foretold the future, though why he had been playing the role of Darien... unless... oh crap, unless he had become a permanent part of Darien's mind and had then won Alyx for himself?

Could that even be possible?

He had to admit to the very slight chance it could be a yes. If Kevin were to end up being unable to leave this body, he might very well take over being her emotional compass since the link to this body would still exist. Ah, how fucking confusing and alarming that would be. He liked Alyx and was more than willing to assist while Darien was unavailable, but was unsure the two of them should end up as a couple. Though given the response of certain parts of his borrowed anatomy, coupling with her would go over well right about now.

With a growl of irritation, he threw off the covers and stalked to the bathroom knowing he would have to deal with his current condition in a more direct manner if he were going to be able to think clearly.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

He spotted Alyx after she had rounded the corner by the checkout counter; she looked as if she had not yet gone to bed even though it was nearly nine a.m. She was obviously burning the candle at both ends, but Kevin did not think he had the right to ask what she had been up to this time. For all he knew she'd been off saving the world as they knew it, and he had just dragged her away from the penultimate battle. Bad timing on his part if so.

"You buying?" she asked as she slid into the booth across from him, shoving her backpack across the seat in front of her before settling and looking him right in the eye.

"Uh, yes?" He scratched one ear. "You know, I just realized I have no idea if I'm getting paid for all of this."

"Should be getting double time considering..." She waved a hand at him for emphasis.

He snickered. "I will mention that to the Official."

The server saved them from any other commentary while she took their orders. Alyx's selection seemed far too little for her, but for all he knew she'd already eaten a huge meal. He had yet to eat and so chose a mountain of food that he would probably inhale as he felt like he was starving even though he'd had coffee and toast before leaving the apartment to meet her.

"How have I been paying the bills?" Kevin mused aloud, wondering if he needed to pay the rent, or if an eviction notice would be showing up on Darien's doorstep soon.

Alyx snorted. "I had the feeling you'd not thought about all of that, so I took care of it. Hobbes has been picking up D's checks and I've been depositing them since I got back."

"But the bills and such?"

"Those come in the mail, which you haven't picked up since taking control," she admonished, her tone bordering on anger from the sound of it.

"I... I've been busy," he said in his defense.

Her harsh look cracked. "No worries. The accounts are up to date and I can take care of them for the time being."

Kevin shook his head. "No, I can't let you do that. You aren't getting paid for your sick leave, I'm sure..."

"Kevin, I have plenty of funds. Covering D's bills won't put a dent in it." She smiled at the server when she arrived with the latte she had ordered. "This can't be why you insisted on seeing me this morning."

He shook his head. "No, sadly I didn't even think about that till just now. Shows where my priorities are."

"And you're the responsible one," Alyx snickered. "What's up?"

"I had an exceedingly odd dream last night and have some concerns it was a Quicksilver dream," he explained, lowering his voice slightly in deference to those about them. It wasn't likely there were spies in the restaurant with them, but no reason to take unnecessary chances.

Alyx sipped her drink before responding. "Why not another memory?"

"I admit it could have been, but you had been hurt, badly and had a silver streak in your hair, here." He pointed to his right temple to show her where it had been.

"How was I hurt?"

"I don't know, but you were walking with a cane and had lost a lot of weight. And you were weak, standing took effort." He closed his eyes to more easily recall the dream, not that it had drifted very far into his memory. No, all morning long it had remained in his mind's eye, forcing him to relive all the emotions over and over again. "You said, 'You want me to say that you've been half of my heart, my soul, my life since the first time we met.'"

Alyx's eyes widened. "You had to choose that line of all of them to repeat?" She sounded, not angry, but hurt, as if it had been - or would be? - something of great import that should not be sullied by the likes of him. "You can relax, it's not a Quicksilver dream, just a memory from several months ago."

Kevin breathed a soft sigh of relief to know this would not be happening anytime in the future, but frowned that it had already happened, that Alyx had been injured badly enough that she could barely stand much less walk. Darien had been truly shocked to see her alive, which meant things had gone horribly wrong at some point and the truth about her condition had been hidden from him, probably to protect her cover. "What happened?"

She shrugged. "Shot protecting the King of Kanvia. Bullet was a special design that shattered upon impact, and did quite a bit of damage. Even with my ability to heal faster than normal it was a month before I was up and moving."

"Moving is a generous description," he said, her slow pain-filled movements not those of the energetic young women before him. "He missed you very much."

She nodded. "I know. He thought he'd lost me forever."

"But you came back."

"I will always come back for him," she stated without a trace of deception or amusement in her voice. She meant the words and Kevin could only imagine what she would do to prove them.

"But your hair..." The silver streak had completely disappeared, though in the memory he had gotten the distinct impression that it should still be in existence.

"I healed. A couple silver strands are still in there, but they'll vanish eventually, provided I don't try to kill myself again." She gave him a crooked smile. "Some injuries take longer to heal than others, is all."

"So you can regenerate long term damage too? Damn, I would love to do a full breakdown of your genetics." Oh how he would love to do that, and maybe take the best of her genetics and copy it, see if it could be reproduced artificially and then share it with the world.

"You and every other whacko mad scientist," she muttered.

"Alyx," he laughed. "While serious, I understand there are some boundaries I won't be crossing, even if the Official wants me to. That said, if I can assist in your research let me know, it's the very least I can do for all the trouble you've gone through." He meant that, suspected she had her lab working on the QSX theory in hopes of doing some real good with it. Yes, improving the genome might have been the government's goal - super-soldiers born and trained from the time they could toddle about - but presumed she had other more altruistic goals in mind.

"Kevin, I haven't done anything-"

He snorted, true amusement bubbling to the surface at her modestly spoken words. "Then your definition of nothing is far different than mine."

She gave him a grin. "Probably is," she told him truthfully. "You feel different today."

That she could  _feel_  him at all was a bad sign, he knew. "You can feel me? And not Darien?"

She lifted up her cup, cradled it in both hands as if to warm them, and allowed her eyes to slip shut. She tipped her head to the side as she concentrated. "No, I still feel Darien, he's still deep asleep, but you are there as well." She opened her eyes to meet his, the concern at this news not visible, which meant she had it under control and was giving him her poker face, or she was not overly worried about this turn of events.

"Shit. This isn't good."

"Nope, not at all," she agreed, being very cautious to not allow her emotions any outlet. "Are Darien's melatonin levels higher than normal?"

Kevin shook his head. "No, which is weird." He'd had the same thought days ago, but the levels in Darien's body were well within the norms, and they shouldn't be if Kevin were continually conscious. With the Cole incident Claire had determined Darien's levels had been elevated even when conscious and in control, which was why Cole had been able to influence Darien while awake. This time however, they appeared to be normal, which meant... He had no idea what it meant, as this situation had never occurred to anyone else in the world. A sleepwalker was exactly that. Sound asleep, with elevated melatonin levels, which allowed functionality even though unconscious, usually in the throes of REM sleep. The thing of it was most sleepwalkers didn't have a second person wandering around in their minds that could wake up the moment they were out.

"Which means Jennings has done something that controls the functionality of the pineal. Maybe using the ESP aspect of the pineal/QS gland connection to his benefit," Alyx suggested, clearly thinking off the top of her head.

Possible, Kevin had to admit, but not quite right, of that he was certain. "That would imply the Official knows your DNA was used to modify the gland, and I'm certain he doesn't. Yes, the DNA will show human genetic markers, it has to for the serotype to match, but unless you do a side-by-side comparison it'll just register as human genetic material, that's all."

"Female human genetic material," Alyx pointed out. "Could Claire have figured it out and told him?"

Kevin shook his head. "She has no idea you were the contributor, of that I am certain." Claire knew the material was female, which therefore made the gland female, but had no clue who the genetic human donor was, else she would have used Alyx's Quicksilver for a comparison model long before now. The fact that she hadn't, in fact, hadn't even run a comparison of the two versions, told him she felt there were no need, that the design match happenstance and no more. Quicksilver was Quicksilver and if it didn't followed a specific model did not work. Both true and not true at the same time. For his gland version the connections in the brain had to be perfect, else the control system would not work properly, as in Arnaud's case, who had all the necessary parts to work, but with damaged connections. Just the fact that his Quicksilver had focused the light at the wrong wavelength had potential real world applications and it had all come from a bad wiring issue.

He really should take the time to map out a new version, one that sought out and made the correct connections on it's own. One that would shut itself down and not require overtly invasive techniques to remove. Like with Alyx's step-by-step shut down of Darien's gland... An epiphany struck at that moment, a vision of her Quicksilver in a gland that sought out and attached itself to the proper locations in the brain allowing functionality in mere days instead of weeks, once the host had healed. Then after a preset time in the gland's genetics, shut down and detached itself from the brain to then be absorbed by the body, removing the need for surgery to remove the remains. He could see the construct in his mind and oh, it would be perfect. One comparably simple surgery and the rest would take care of itself.

"Kevin, you okay?" Alyx sounded a touch concerned, which meant she had probably been trying to get his attention for several minutes while he'd been staring blindly, his mind whirling with the beauty of the new gland design. Her Quicksilver would be the key of course, allowing a far more natural form and no longer requiring the genetic modifications he'd had to deal with the first time. He just needed time and space, terabytes of space to get it down and out of his head. This idea, he knew, would not leave him alone until he had brought it to life.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." He was saved from having to explain what had happened by the arrival of their food. He barely waited until the server had stepped away before digging in; he was ravenous.

"No, you're not. You're eating like you haven't in days, which I suspect means you are now more aware of the body's needs, and you most certainly went elsewhere for a good five minutes while we were in the middle of a conversation." She stabbed her fork in his direction. "Give, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said around a mouthful of food. When she looked to be protesting his claim he shook his head. "Just had a new idea, is all, and want to get it down on paper soonest."

"Paper?"

He chuckled. "And who's Mr. Picky now? Onto a hard drive, then, smartypants. But it can wait, we have far more important things to deal with first." A new gland would do no good so long as he was trapped in Darien's body. He needed to work on the suppressor first and key in the new gland design when he had free moments. Oh and still try to fake a gland removal solution with Claire. If there were a way to burn a candle at more than just both ends he would be the one to figure it out. It wasn't going to leave the body he wore in great shape though.

"So if not by inducing a deep REM-like sleep, how do you think the suppressor works?" He had his theory, but wanted to hear her thoughts on it. He'd not had much chance to go through Jennings files in any detail so would take any help he could get.

"I wish I knew. I can tell you the suppressor affected the pineal first then spread back to the Q-gland. Pineal controls sleep cycles as well as ESP, in theory, so maybe the suppressor turned Darien  _off_  without the need for melatonin to be flooding his system." She didn't sound overly confident in her theory, but it was better than anything he had come up with yet.

"So, perhaps it altered how the pineal works, maybe reversing the normal melatonin equals sleep coding in the brain?" he tossed out, which sounded crazy even to him, but given they were already way beyond the realm of the normal as plausible as anything else.

"Ooo, I like that idea. I'd ask if that were even possible, but after the last few months I wouldn't discount any crazy-ass idea that came along. Be one hell of a drug cocktail, but could be done, I suppose. Now, what that drug is, I have no idea." She raised a single eyebrow the unsaid question obvious even to Kevin.

"Only glanced at the files last night. It's going to take a few days to go through them in detail."

She nodded. "Try using search terms to narrow the field. Once you have the counter, there's another issue you... we'll have to deal with."

"And what is that?"

"If I can  _feel_  you it means you've begun to take up residence in Darien's mind, and that means your RNA has probably bonded with the gland. You won't be able to leave until we can flush the gland, and possibly his brain, clear of you."

He hadn't thought of that, not in any real detail anyway. For Cole the anti-peptide shot had removed any traces of the mRNA, but it had not worked at all this time. Kevin had simply woken up the next morning with a mild headache thanks to the bore of needle he'd had to insert into Darien's brain. His mRNA hadn't been affected at all, but that had been after he'd been given the suppressor, which implied there had been a component that had, for lack of a better word, locked his RNA into the gland's structure. Now given that gland had never been intended to house a second personality, should make it simple to remove any unwanted RNA found, and yet he had essentially become part of Darien's brain thanks to the gland and its unique morphology. Thanks to the suppressor, removing the extraneous RNA might not be enough to allow Darien to return. He might need to awaken him from this deep sleep he seemed to be trapped in.

Damn it, this was getting beyond complicated and he had already begun taking over needed neural connections in Darien's brain. If he, Kevin Fawkes, were to shift from living through the gland to being a whole and real boy once again in his brother's body there might be no way to ever remove him. And that... that was bad. The Official might think it was the best thing since sliced bread, but Kevin, and surely Alyx, not so much. Kevin was pretty damn certain that if Darien were to disappear, Alyx would as well and all the Official's time and money invested into her would have been wasted. And Kevin really couldn't see him making a move that stupid no matter how desperate the situation.

"Kevin you're not going to solve this in one day, even if you absolutely needed to," she informed him, her face tight as if she'd experienced every single emotion that had flitted through his mind the last few minutes while he ate and pondered the situation.

"I know, but the longer I take the less likely any viable solution will succeed." He hated saying that to her, hated telling her in no uncertain terms that Darien might be gone for good. Hell, he hated admitting it to himself. He  _hated_  to fail and, right now, he felt as if he had failed his brother.

"Then you have to make a choice, continue to work with Claire during the day on a removal solution you don't need, and have only limited time to solve this RNA problem, or walk out on the Agency and Official and devote your time to saving Darien." She spoke simply and directly, not making any effort to influence his choice with the tone of her voice, and though he knew it must of cost her dearly to do so, was thankful she had.

"The Official won't just let me walk away," he pointed out. "He'll just lock me in the basement cell and order me to do it anyway."

Alyx shook her head as if disappointed in him. "Kevin, unless he can suck the information from your brain he can't force you to do anything."

"He could lock me up and then withhold the Counteragent. Manipulate me into doing what he wants just as he did with Darien." And he'd do it, Kevin was certain of that. He needed something from Kevin and would do whatever it took to get it.

"That'll only work if you're afraid to go mad," she stated with a quiet conviction. "And if that threat does come up in conversation you might do well to remind him you won't be getting much work done while doing the red-eyed mambo."

Kevin goggled for a moment. "You really call it that?"

"Hobbesy's creation I do believe, but yes, there's a whole slew of amusing nicknames for the madness." She ate the last bite of her pancakes, then set the fork down before slouching back into the chair.

"You want me to challenge him?"

"Not what I said. The Official's threats only work with Darien because he allows them to. Granted the one time he didn't give in things did not go well and he ended up Stage Five, but that was before I arrived and he now has options he didn't have before, and people who will back him over the Official if push comes to shove."

"And some who will shove right back I imagine," he said with an ironic raise of his eyebrows.

"As hard as we can." She ran a hand through her hair. "Without the toxin gene sequence you will not be able to create a viable removal technique. Yeah, you could just yank it out and deal with the withdrawal afterwards, but we both know the survival chances a greatly lowered if done that way. In an emergency situation, I could see it, but as it stands it's too big a gamble. He won't be able to hire anyone to take the risk once full disclosure of the side-effects are given to any potential candidates." She shook her head. "And I can't see him trolling prisons looking for employees. Darien was a unique situation that worked better than anyone could have expected. Just imagine if Cole had survived and you'd corrected the gland while still in him. Do you think he would have handled the madness any better than Darien?"

Damn, she had been doing a lot of thinking over the last week. "No, he wouldn't have and if he had gotten loose, would have been far more dangerous - as the Cole incident proved."

"Kevin you need to do what's right for you, I can only give you advice and my opinions, however, they will probably be biased." She shrugged. "Guess that means I still human... mostly, anyway."

"Completely human, Alyx, and don't you ever think otherwise." Her genetic structure may have been modified and it may have been the luck of the draw that she had ended up with so many unique gifts, but when push came to shove, she was human through and through and a better one than most. He pondered all she had said, but came to definite conclusion. "I need to talk to Claire."

"Yes, you do," Alyx agreed. "I have some things I need to do, but feel free to text me if you want to meet up." She drank the last sip of her latte, grabbed her bag and slid out of the booth to stand next to the table.

"I will." He started to get to his feet, intending to walk her to her car, but she waved him back down.

"Finish your meal and get something to go, you're still hungry. I know how to get back to my place." She patted him on the shoulder. "Use caution, Kevin the game's afoot and we've yet to see all the pieces on the board."

He grinned. "You read Sherlock Holmes?"

She laughed. "Not the point, Kevin. Good luck." And with that she turned around and left the diner, her stride confident and sure.

"Thanks, I have the feeling I'm going to need it," he said long after she'd walked through the door.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

"Claire, am I alive?"

The question must have startled her as she twitched and spun about, nearly dropping the papers she held in her hand and had been studiously reading. "Why would you ask that?"

Kevin gave her a wry smile. "Because according to the files I accessed  _I_ ," he poked himself in the sternum, "am currently buried in the Frances Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, row five, plot two, that's why."

Claire frowned deeply, her blonde brows drawing together. "Yes, I do suppose that is true, but that does not mean you are not alive... in every sense of the word."

"This should not have happened," Kevin muttered, wondering how to explain what he was feeling. "I have no soul... maybe that's why I can't solve the problem."

"Kevin," Claire admonished. "You've spent half your time playing catch up and with equipment not suited to the tasks we've been demanding of them." She moved to his side and set the papers down on the desk. "And I will never believe that you have no soul," she stated emphatically.

He shook his head. "I know I've never been much for god and theology, but this feels wrong. The dead should stay dead no matter how important they are to someone. Clearly, no one has learned a thing from Stephen King." The attempt at a joke fell flat and Claire's frowned deepened and moved up into her eyes.

"Kevin, if you want to go down that road I would argue that if  _god_  did not want this to happen," she gestured at him, " _he_  would not have made it possible. The connection between the pineal and Quicksilver glands was happenstance, and anyone else with an identical gland might never experience the same merging."

Kevin knew that to not be true, as any functioning gland based on his design would contain traces of Alyx's DNA, and that, thanks to her predisposition towards functioning ESP, would cause the gland to seek out any way to enact the programming buried within it. And  _that_  would just mean anyone with a Quicksilver gland stood a chance of the connection being forged. Act of God this so wasn't. No this was caused by him playing god and not understanding enough about the toys he had in his hands. "God had nothing to do with designing the gland, that was all on me." He got to his feet and began pacing the room. "And I think god made certain to slap my hands for doing it by sending Arnaud."

"Kevin, you don't really believe that, do you?" The concern in her voice was easily audible, but he was unsure how to answer her.

"Today, yeah, I think I do." With a heavy sigh, he stopped his pacing and looked her in the eye. "This isn't going to work."

"What isn't going to work?"

"Removing the toxin. Oh, if we could find it I could use simple gene therapy to remove it, but we aren't going to find it. Not like this." He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, the beginnings of a headache making itself known.

"But we've narrowed the field dramatically," she argued, picking up the papers the computer had spit out overnight. "We just need to be patient and keep running the comparisons... why are you shaking your head?"

"Because even if we find it, fix this particular gland, it doesn't solve the real issue."

"And what might that be?"

"That my RNA has already merged with the gland and probably can't be purged," he told her at a bare whisper.

She moved to his side, one hand resting gently on his arm. "Kevin?"

He shook her hand off. "I'm a ghost, Claire, possessing my brother's body. This... this is wrong."

"This is a miracle, Kevin." She cupped his face in both her hands. "Kevin, when I heard that you had died I... I wished I'd had just one more chance, one minute to call you, speak to you one last time, but you were gone and I had lost ten years worth of opportunities. And then this happened, a crazy, stupid, insane move by the Official, yes, but for me... for me it was that chance I'd wanted so badly handed to me. I will never say this was wrong, or evil, or some punishment by a wrathful god looking to make a perverse point. No this is an opportunity and I will not waste it."

Then she did the last thing he had expected and kissed him.

It was wrong, so very wrong, he was dead and in his brother's body and it was wrong, but he'd never been so thankful of anything in his life. He and Claire had parted on good terms, each heading to what they had thought would be their dream jobs, each satisfied that they'd had their time and could move on from each other. He had dated very little over the decade they'd been separated; his relationships typically short term and mostly out of mutual convenience instead of love. Not unusual when one's focus is on work, especially in the research fields. He would spend twenty hours a day in a lab, sleeping only when his body gave in and demanded that he pay attention to its needs. No one had captured even the smallest portion of his heart since Claire.

She pulled away looking into his eyes questioningly for long seconds. He didn't bother to speak, as there was a far easier way to answer. He wrapped his arms about her and kissed he most thoroughly, wishing they were someplace far more private.

He then got to learn about another side-effect of the gland as Claire suddenly pulled away with a squeal of complaint. "That's bloody cold."

Kevin was confused for all of a second, until he looked down and saw that various portions of his anatomy had disappeared. "Oh crap," he muttered, wondering how to make it stop.

Claire giggled, one hand over her mouth, but amusement plain in those blue eyes of hers. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I've been duly informed about this... issue, but must admit it's the first time I've been the cause of it."

And that felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured directly into his veins. Though it might have been more useful had it been actual ice water as the phantom feeling had no obvious affect on the Quicksilver crawling across his body. His elevated heart rate and sexual interest keeping it flowing long past any real need. Why the hell had he chosen sexual stimulation as a secondary trigger? At the time it had probably made sense, but now... now it was fucking annoying to put it mildly.

"I can't get it to stop," he complained bitterly, not having a clue how to control his own creation.

"You don't need to, we can just continue with what we were doing," she told him, clearly not about to let a little case of frostbite slow her down any.

While part of him found it amusing to know that the hedonist who often hid behind the façade of scientific acumen still existed, he could not let this go on. No matter how much he may want to. Before he had a chance to say anything she was there, her hands curving about his neck, lips finding the hollow of his throat and tickling it with the tip of her tongue, making it plain she'd forgotten little or nothing about what he liked when it came to bed play. The body he wore, however, seemed confused, as if, while enjoyable, the sensation not the expected one. Perhaps all the phermonal triggers were wrong, which would make sense, as Darien would be used to reacting and responding to Alyx and not Claire.

Kevin might be interested in continuing, but Darien clearly was not, as the Quicksilver fell away much to Claire's surprise.

"Kevin?" she questioned as she stepped back.

"We can't do this," he told her, not willing to prevaricate. "I mean, I want to, but not like this."

"We can go back to my place then. I'll cook dinner and-"

"No, Claire, I can't do that. Look at me."

She did, hands on hips, head cocked to the side and an expression of exasperation on her face. "What am I supposed to be seeing?" she finally said, completely unable to comprehend what he was getting at.

"Your Kept," she stated flatly.

She blinked, eyes going wide as realization settled upon her. "Kevin, you seem to making the assumption that nothing had gone on between... us before now. I am his Keeper, after all."

He understood that, perhaps even better than she did, but he would have known if she had been forced to use more personal manipulations to get Darien to tow the line, and even if Darien had not thought to tell him, Alyx most surely would have. Alyx who had been brought in as a toy for his brother to keep him happy and unwilling to run off... again. No, Claire had never slept with her Kept.

"If you had Kept him that way, why was Alyx brought in?"

Claire frowned. "Kevin-"

"I'm not Kevin," he shouted, surprising himself with the vehemence in his words. She took several steps back in surprise, giving him time to get control of his emotions. "Sorry, but can you honestly say you'd be able to look Darien in the eye when he returns if we slept together? Especially when he knew nothing about it?"

Her lips formed a thin line as color rose in her cheeks as the implications of that settled upon her fully "Bollocks," she muttered after a few minutes of silence.

"I can't make that kind of decision for him, Claire." He went to her and set his hands on her shoulders, wanting to kiss her so very badly. "He loves Alyx, and I am not willing to ruin a relationship that makes him so very happy."

"And if Darien doesn't return?"

"Don't say that," he snapped, his head exploding into sudden pain. "Shit."

Claire was at his side in an instant, her fingers cool against his wrist. "Looks like we used a bit too much Quicksilver," she said softly. "Come on." She tugged on his arm and steered him over to the exam chair. It took an act of will to climb up onto the seat, but he did so, leaning back and trying to ignore the odd chattering of voices in his head.

"How does he deal with this?"

Claire had moved to the cooler and withdrew a vial of Counteragent, and hunted up the other necessary items: a syringe and rubber tourniquet. She returned to his side with the items. "Some days better than others," she answered honestly. With swift efficiency, she filled the syringe and aspirated it, sending a streamer of blue liquid into the air. Then with practiced ease she wrapped the tourniquet about his upper arm, swiped the crook of his elbow with alcohol, and injected the contents into the vein that had stood up tall and proud for her.

There was a burning rush up his arm that caused him to jerk back, eyes closing as the chemical cocktail made it way through his system and the momentary euphoria washed across him. He noticed an immediate difference between this version and the one Alyx had provided for use after his adventures into escaping his babysitters. No high. Little wonder Darien had become addicted to the Counteragent so quickly. Claire must still be duplicating the original formula, which Alyx's lab had clearly made modifications to, eliminating certain unneeded components, one of which must have been the euphoric high he had just experienced.

He dare not tell Claire, as she'd freak to know Alyx had her own source of Counteragent, and then the Official would know and Alyx... Alyx would be pissed beyond measure. The Official already suspected she was running a private lab, if Kevin confirmed it, even by accident, she would never speak to him again and he wouldn't risk that. He liked Alyx and had he not been dead would have encouraged a friendship between them if at all possible.

He lifted his arm once the tubing had been removed to see all ten segments of the serpent had turned green, signaling the toxin had been flushed from his system giving him roughly two weeks of sanity. For the first time since waking up in Darien's body, he understood the hell he'd been living in for the last year or so. This was not how it was supposed to be. The host of the gland was not supposed to suffer torment and constant fear. God only knew what would have happened if Claire had not realized what had been occurring. His protests of not taking advantage of the situation with Claire would have flown out the window; his rationality torn away by the toxin running through his system, and what might have occurred... didn't bear thinking about. It wouldn't have been pretty and it would have been irrevocable. And no matter how much he would have regretted it, it still would have happened.

He rolled off the exam chair and walked away from Claire, rubbing the back of his head even though the headache had fled with toxin. "This is insane. Darien has been suffering like this for months... why has the Official allowed it to continue?"

Claire, hands clasped in front of her, trailed after him, but stayed several feet away. "Because you died," she stated, not pulling the force of the punch at all.

"Bullshit. He could have brought in Arnaud at any time and made him give up the information. We had him here and he was practically handed the keys to the castle he was gone so fast." He threw up his hands in frustration. "No, the Official has done nothing because he likes the status quo."

"Kevin," Claire tried in her most soothing voice.

"No, I'm done." Kevin turned and headed for the door, not intending to stay one moment longer than necessary.

He'd forgotten how fast Claire could move as she scooted in front of him before he made it to the door. "Don't do this, Kevin. You'll force his hand."

He shook his head. "Yes, I will. So what?"

He tried to push past her, but she shifted and set a hand on his chest holding him in place for the nonce, but only because he allowed it. "He let Darien go into Stage Five to prove his point, do you think he won't do the same to you?" she hissed, the threat clear.

"And you'd go along with that? Let him tug on my leash the same way he does Darien?" He shifted and keyed the door open, not really expecting her to respond. "Guess I have my answer, then. I really  _don't_ exist."

Claire was so stunned she remained frozen as he pushed past her and out into the hall. He had no idea what she planned to do, though he suspected it would be to run and tattle to the Official and Eberts, but really didn't care. He had never expected the Agency to sink to the depths he'd dealt with at the SWRB, but apparently they had and, much like then, he would not allow his work to manipulated and used to do harm, and that's all his precious gland had done: cause harm.

Some doctor he was when he couldn't follow the most basic precept of his profession: do no harm. Yeah, he'd been trying to make the world a better place, believing one man, the right man, at the right time could change the world, but he had failed. His ego leading him down a pathway that led to nothing but misery and death. So many dead because of the gland... his gland.

He walked out the doors and into the bright sunlight, but he felt no warmth, only the aching cold darkness where his soul used to reside.

 


	16. Chapter 16

When he arrived at the storage facility, this time long before the sun had gone down, he had a package waiting for him. He removed one of the beers and set it on the desk before putting the rest into the fridge. He used the bottle opener to remove the top and drank half before even thinking about opening the box. He fiddled with a half dozen items in the room, before finally coming back to the box. The bottle dangling between the fingers of his right hand he used his left to wiggle the top off and gazed inside. There in amongst bubble wrap and filler lay a note. He set it aside for the moment, not certain he wanted to read it. Under the air-filled plastic lay an external hard drive.

It took him a second, but then he remembered that Alyx had said she'd be putting the Perseus videos on an external. This must be those files. He ran a hand through his hair, picked up the note, and opened it with some trepidation. Her handwriting was a surprisingly neat cursive.  _I've marked the files I think will be of the most use to you. Yes, including the one you most want to see, even though you shouldn't. Call me if you want to talk about anything. - Alyx._

He reread the note several times wishing she had said something more, something else, but had no idea what exactly he'd been expecting from her. Words of comfort, perhaps? Though why he would turn to her in his proverbial hour of need he had no clue. He drank down the rest of the beer as he stared morosely at the hard drive, knowing he would watch the scenes even Alyx had said he shouldn't in hopes of gaining some insight into his current troubles. Eventually though, he finished the beer and saw it as his time to choose: leave it in the past and unknown, or see for himself what had happened on that fateful day, for right now the day he had died seemed to be the only one that mattered. Yes, there could be all kinds of useful information on the videos, but right now his ending seemed to be the only one he really gave a damn about.

He plugged in the power, grabbed a USB cable to connect the drive to the server, and turned it on. Seconds later the icon appeared on the desktop, a drive named simply Perseus. He walked over the fridge and after debating with himself for a second, grabbed the rest of the six-pack, suspecting he would need the lubrication to get through this. He opened the bottle and drank half before settling into the chair and double clicking the drive icon. The files had been neatly broken up by date, most by week, though it appeared the ones she had deemed most significant had been modified and were listed by specific dates. It took a few seconds, but he still easily found the one marked August 10th 2000. He ignored the shaking of his hands and double-clicked on the file, which automatically started the video.

Alyx had clearly taken the time edit the video, taking shots from multiple cameras and locations the story played out before him, the timestamp in the bottom right corner showing him when each scene had taken place. Some had overlapped, the same space of time, but from different areas of the facility so that he could see and understand everything that had occurred that fateful morning. The events covered the space of about an hour, though the video he watched was almost twice times that length. So many events occurring in such a comparatively short span of time. As he watched and drank he could feel his shoulders tensing, the build up to the ending, even though he knew exactly what was coming, feeling as suspenseful as if he had no clue. When it happened, the hallway cameras following him and Darien as they ran towards the exit, hoping to make it out without being discovered. The words said matching those from the dream.

When they both said, "oh crap," he flinched and forced himself to keep his eyes open and not look away. With a mighty shove he got Darien out of the line of fire and then... and then blood exploded from his chest in multiple locations. He could tell that there would have been no saving him even had there been emergency personnel instantly available. Even as his dying body hit the floor Darien was up and after the attacker, Quicksilvering as he ran, so the man had no idea where he might be. After a short struggle, the man's hands went to his throat as if an invisible arm were wrapped about it. Mere seconds later his head twisted sharply to the side and the body went limp, neck plainly broken.

Then Darien was back, trying to convince his dying brother that he would fix everything.

But the Kevin on the screen before him knew that wasn't possible. He was a dead man, he still had a few breaths left, enough to convince Darien to protect what the had inside him with everything he had. Kevin let it play out, watching as Darien made his escape, though not without leaving a warning for Arnaud on the body of the man he'd killed.

Once the crappy Fish and Game van had pulled away with Darien inside, he hit pause, trying to wrap his head around what he had witnessed. Darien had killed the man who had shot his brother, something Kevin would never had thought possible given their tumultuous relationship. And, add to that Darien's continued need for vengeance, wanting Arnaud to pay and pay and pay for the rest of his days. His brother loved him.

And that had to be one of the most shocking realizations he'd ever had.

Kevin slid the bar backwards until just prior to where he and Darien had run into each other, intending to watch the scene again. He had pushed his brother out of the way, but had no idea if it had been to save the man or the gland buried within his brain. That had been one of the many questions he knew Darien to have, and, after watching the video twice, Kevin still had no answer for him.

 

The beer was long gone, but the buzz remained, and the depressant effects had taken full hold of him. He had watched the video compilation through from start to finish twice and the penultimate scene, the one that had ultimately led to current situation, dozens of times without gleaning one more iota of information from it. He still saved Darien. Darien still killed the man in black. And he, Kevin, still died. Was still dead, and yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, had returned to this plane of existence to walk among the mere mortals again.

It was then Kevin knew he had had too much. Here he was, living in his brother's body and likening himself to the newly resurrected Christ. Did he have an ego or what?

Well, he had had one, once upon a time, but harsh realities had beaten it down, that and a few choice words from Alyx. Her tongue could be designated as a lethal weapon the way she could break someone with just a few words. She always seemed to know just the right thing to say to get her point across, whether to boost morale or knock it down.

He rubbed his face in his hands wanting to understand, hell wanting someone to talk to, but had no clue who to turn to. He picked up the phone and sent a quick text, deciding if there was no response to let it drop and not inflict his drunken musings on anyone else, but mere moments later the words  _whatcha need?_  appeared in response.

Since he was already in over his head he sent back,  _can you stop by the unit? I need to talk._

_On my way_ , was the quick reply.

Mostly as a joke he texted back,  _bring beer, I'm out_.

An  _LOL_  was the response.

Still, when she arrived some 45 minutes later, her arms were laden with bags, some brown and some the cheap plastic ones that usually came with take out in them. She strode into the room, the door closing behind her without aide; her abilities useful for everyday jobs as well as saving the universe. As she got closer, the airflow in the room brought him the scent of Chinese food, which made his stomach sit up and take notice. He'd been here for hours and had to admit he'd forgotten to eat anything of value since breakfast, which had been a very long time ago.

She set the food down away from the computer, then opened the brown bag and withdrew a six of some obscure local beer, followed by a bottle of tequila. He made a face; hard liquor had not been something he drank with any regularity, and after one taste of tequila years ago had decided then and there to never drink it again.

"That is vile," he stated pointing at the bottle of Cuervo Black.

She snorted. "Drank some cheap tequila during college, did you? This is nothing like that, trust me. Besides, it's for me. This," she withdrew another bottle and presented it to him, "is for you."

In her hands she held a bottle of fifteen year old Glenfiddich, which had probably cost her a small fortune. Sadly, he had never been much of scotch drinker either. Generally, the hardest his alcohol got was wine, and the occasional beer. "I'm not much of scotch drinker."

"Ah, but Darien is, and it is his palate you'll be using." She set the bottle down before him. "Plus, it takes too long to get drunk on beer and I'm guessing you're in need of a good one."

He shook his head, the buzz he'd managed to drag out for hours now long gone, leaving him stone cold sober and in need of the blur of alcohol to take the pain away. He rubbed his face in his hands. "What the hell am I going to do?"

She handed him a white carton with chopsticks stuck into it. "You are going to eat." She followed this with a bottle of beer, the top already removed. "And drink. And once you have a nice buzz going you're going to talk to me."

He nodded, digging into the pork lo mein with a hunger that blossomed in full when the scent hit his nostrils. He ate with such a focus that he noticed little about him until the carton was nearly empty and the second beer beside him bone dry. "Why don't you hate me?"

If Alyx were startled by the question, she made certain not to show it. She had kicked off her shoes, her bare feet propped up on the edge of the desk, the chair tipped back on two legs as she alternated between mouthfuls of some seasoned veggie concoction and long draws straight from the bottle of tequila. "Far as I know I have no reason to."

"But I ruined Darien's life and now have taken it over," he told her, all but whining in his slightly inebriated state.

"Kevin, you didn't ruin his life and last I checked you were working on getting him back. Or has that changed?"

He shook his head. "No... I just..." He trailed off not certain how to make her understand. He reached for the bottle of Glenfiddich, removed the cap and, after contemplating the merits of this move for a moment, raised it to his mouth and let the liquid slide down his throat. He set the bottle down, feeling the exquisite burn of aged scotch and realizing she had been correct, it tasted wonderful, Darien's palate more refined than he had thought given his preference in beer. Though that too, while seemingly low end, had actually been quite fine micro-brews. "Damn," he muttered. "That's quite good."

Alyx cracked a smile. "Why are you so surprised? You think thieves don't have good taste?"

"Not good so much as discerning." Kevin responded without even thinking about it. Of course, then he realized what he'd said. "Huh. Never thought of it that way. Is he more than a petty thief?"

"You're asking me? I met him after he'd come to the Agency," she reminded him, but the quiet amusement in her eyes told him a different story.

"So? I seriously doubt even the leash the Official tied about him stopped him. Hell, if I know Darien he'd want to pull off a few heists even more."

Alyx didn't blink, just raised the bottle to her lips and let the dark amber liquid slide down her throat. "He has his hobbies," she finally said, not intending to give anything else away.

Kevin might have been well on his way to seriously inebriated, but he still caught how carefully she chose her words. "Holy shit, he's still stealing and you're helping him. You've been giving him doses of your homemade Counteragent, haven't you?"

"Nope. First time he got a dose was when you received it."

He wagged a finger at her. "I caught that, you know. You didn't answer the real question."

She shrugged. "Does it really matter? Would it make you feel better to know that he's stolen nothing of grave importance, just having fun and keeping his skills honed? That he's teaching me skills the Agency hasn't and probably can't, and that he does it to make certain that when I have to leave that I'll come home? Judge him all you want Kevin, but I would suggest you get to know him first before casting those stones."

"I... That's not what I meant." He took another drink from the bottle. "Why did I save him? Was it for him or the gland?"

Alyx cocked her head, eyes narrowing. "Kevin, I have no answer for you."

He tipped his head down, staring at the floor between his feet. "I know you don't. I was hoping for some... insight, I guess."

"Insight into what?" She tipped the chair back down and dropped her feet onto the floor, her blue-painted toes just within his line of sight.

"This." He woke the computer up, which showed the scene of Darien holding his dying brother in his arms.

Alyx took one look then sighed heavily. "Tell me you haven't been watching that over and over again?"

"You want me to lie?"

She leaned forward and flicked him on the forehead. "You have a brain in there, use it."

"Don't want to." He lifted up the bottle and drank until he needed to breathe. "All I can see is me pushing him out of the way and then... then I tell him to protect what he has inside." He turned to look her in the eyes, those beautiful silver eyes of hers, and once again he felt that fist tighten about his heart and his breath hitch in his chest. It wasn't him, it was Darien who cared for her so deeply that his body would react even when he had been banished to the deep, dark recess of his own mind. "Did I bring him into the project to keep from killing another valuable agent?"

"I doubt that. The Official might have used that logic, but I cannot say with any certainty. I have the feeling you blackmailed your boss to get Darien out of his prison sentence. If Darien knows he's never told me." She took the bottle of liquor away, exchanging it for a bottle of water that had appeared out of nowhere.

"I hadn't spoken to Darien in years, it makes no sense that I'd do this, that I'd help him no matter how dire the situation. Did he call me or something?"

"Nope. You found about it on the 'net. Should be on the recordings, in fact."

"I found out about it on the 'net? You have got to be shitting me."

"Oh, so you want me to lie," she tossed back at him with a smirk. "It's amazing how alike the two of you are."

Kevin gaped. He had never heard anything so absurd. He was nothing like his brother. Of course, now he was his brother - some irony that - and he had no idea how to put things back the way they belonged, and more had begun to wonder if he should. Wouldn't he just be condemning Darien to more fear and madness. Even with Alyx's potential cure to dangle before him like a carrot, he'd still be forced to live with the current conditions, which would be considered intolerable anywhere else in this nation and yet it was allowed to continue as if it were a normal everyday occurrence.

"I don't know how to respond to that. I have no idea who Darien is, but I suspect that my preconceived perception of my brother had been shortsighted. I mean how could he end up with someone like you if he were the man I thought he was."

"Kevin," she trailed off shaking her head in obvious dismay. "I liked him as a bratty, potty-mouthed kid, why wouldn't I continue to like him just as he is?"

"Good question. Wish I had the chance to get to know him," he muttered, turning away from her and debating the merits of getting up for the Glenfiddich, but she effectively blocked him.

"You have all you need right here." She moved his chair aside, further from the alcohol, and began going through the files from Perseus. Once up on the screen, she shifted his chair until directly in front of it. "Watch." She hit play and stepped back.

On the screen were him and Darien, who sat on the floor in a lotus position. Kevin was giving him some suggestions on how to control the Quicksilver. Darien looked like he was getting frustrated when Kevin made some offhand comment that had his brother rolling in laughter mere seconds later. The banter continued for several minutes at the end of which Darien performed the requested feat with ease. The training session continued for about an hour with the two brothers talking and joking as if they had not spent half their lives ignoring each other or fighting over the choices they had made.

When the video ended, Alyx started another, and then another showing him tidbits of their time together at Perseus. Not everything was perfect brotherly love, there were arguments and disagreements, but overall the two of them got along, Darien's incredible skill with the Quicksilver amazing Kevin at every turn, but never seeming to be the focus of their discussions. Darien seemed to be just as enthusiastic about all the discoveries and progress they had been making, but then again all these videos were prior to the toxin presenting itself in Darien's system. Kevin could bet his enthusiasm had dampened by a factor of ten once the toxin had made itself known.

He stopped the current video and turned about to look at Alyx. "I liked him," he said, actually surprising himself with the words.

"Yes, you did. His past, your past, didn't matter. You gave him a chance and discovered your brother was something other than a petty larcenist. And he discovered you were something more than just an egghead who had his head buried in a beaker."

That drew a surprise snort of amusement from him. "The beer mugs... I had no idea... Darien and I didn't interact much as adults. The last time we spent any real time together we were still kids... barely teens really, since I went off to college so young. He'd already chosen his career path and it didn't mix well with the standard school system."

Alyx smiled. "No, I don't imagine it did, but he also didn't drop out and did well enough to get into medical school."

Kevin cocked his head at her. "How do you know that?"

"Kevin, I do know how to read a file." She patted him on the shoulder then turned about, leaning back against the desk. "Do you need to see more?"

He shook his head. "Yes. What went wrong? How did Arnaud manage to pull this off?"

"Ah, yes. Wondering why you didn't trust him." She didn't even turn about, a selection of videos moving to the front of the list. "You ready for this?"

He shrugged. "No, but I need to know."

She nodded and the first of the videos started. It was black and white security footage. Showing Arnaud in the server room, placing some sort of device into the machine over and over again, probably downloading data. After a few minutes he froze and casually picked up a fire extinguisher, spraying it across the room to reveal... Darien leaning against one of the computer racks, having caught Arnaud in the act of apparently stealing the project files. The scene culminated with Arnaud dropping the extinguisher on his own head and leaving Darien holding it as security arrived. Catching him in the proverbial act.

Darien protested his innocence over and over, but no one, including Kevin, believed him, ultimately leading to Darien being restrained hand and foot to a bed, the assumption, coming from Arnaud and not Kevin, being that the toxin had caused a paranoid mental break in Darien. Kevin simply hadn't believed his brother. Presuming that the supposedly upstanding Arnaud De Thiel  _had_  to be telling the truth over his lying, thieving, con-artist of a brother.

A mistake that turned out to be a fatal one.

And now the words he had spoken as they ran down the hall made sense.

_"My fault... it's my fault..."_

_"Next time you'll trust me, right?"_

_"Next time I'll..."_

He had no idea what he had planned to say next, but he could assume it would have been confirmation that he would trust his brother next time, instead of the words,  _oh crap_ , that had come from both of them at the appearance of the gunman.

If he had trusted him in the first place he, Kevin Fawkes, would still be alive. Well, maybe, things still could have ended badly had he trusted his sibling over his supposed friend.

Kevin looked up at Alyx, really wanting more alcohol in him before asking this question. "If I trusted him with the gland, knowing who he was, why didn't I trust him when it came to... to this?"

Alyx shrugged. "I can't answer that, I'm afraid, but I can make a guess based on known data."

Kevin shook his head. "No need, I can do that as well." He frowned. While professing trust for using the gland, he probably hadn't, least not without keeping Darien under close supervision and scrutiny, perhaps planning on never having Darien leave the facility until the gland had been fully tested and removed. Only the discovery of the toxic effect of the Quicksilver had changed that plan. Darien had never been supposed to go to work for the Agency. He had really and truly been nothing more than a guinea pig, used to test the modified gland and make certain it worked correctly, before removal and placement in an actual agent.

It made such perfect sense he knew it to be true, and would only need to confirm it with the Official. Then again, he could ask Alyx. "Was Darien only supposed to be a temporary host?"

"Yes."

Kevin sighed. "The Official didn't want to risk losing another real agent should something go wrong," he stated. "And somehow I talked him into using Darien."

"So I suspect," she told him, her voice soft and sorrowful. "You didn't use him-"

"Yes, I did," he got to his feet shoving the chair hard enough that it rolled across the floor and into a rack of equipment. "I used him and planned to toss him away when I was done."

"Kevin... yeah, that's what you did, but at the same time you saved him from prison. You wangled a deal: pardon for helping with the gland. Not that you told him about the gland then," she gave him a wan smile. "You were trying to help your baby brother the only way you knew how. You knew nothing about Arnaud's plans."

"Because I was a gullible idiot," he groused, rubbing his face in his hands.

"Because you trusted a man that had you had known for years. You may have wanted him on your team after the Cole failure, but it was the Agency who vetted him and approved him. The Official was just as snowed as you, and it wasn't until after that they made the connection between De Thiel and De Ferhn." She gently tugged his hands away from his face and encouraged him to meet her eyes. "It wasn't your fault."

"Then why does it feels like it was?"

"Because decisions you made led to the deaths of dozens of people," she stated frankly.

"Oh gee, thanks for that uplifting comment," he snarked, reaching for the bottle of scotch. She easily batted his hand away. "Alyx..."

"Not what you need right now," she admonished.

"And what is it I need," he snarled, not liking that she thought she knew him so well after only a few weeks of contact.

"Forgiveness," she said simply, then moved to wrap her arms about him.

He went stock still for a long moment, not sure what the hell to do.  _He_  may not have known, but the body he wore did. The arms coming about and wrapping about her much smaller frame, upper body bowing inward so that he could tuck his face into the curve of her neck, breathing in her scent, which had a strangely comforting effect upon him. His arms tightened about her, holding on for dear life.

They held that tableau for an unmeasured length of time, her tiny body seeming to take all the pain he felt and drawing as much of it away from him that she could hold and into her, until he felt... lighter. He pulled back first, sensing she would willingly remain in this position until he felt ready to move. "I'm not sure I deserve forgiveness." He took a half step back, hands still resting on her shoulders, hers on his hips as if knowing he still needed the physical contact.

"Of course you do. You had no idea Arnaud was anything other than what he had portrayed himself to be. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had."

"I just screwed up, big time."

"Yes you did, question is what are you going to do about it?"

His answer took no thought whatsoever, "Everything I can."

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

"Fawkes, you really shouldn't pull shit like this. My ass took a royal chewing when you took off yesterday."

"Sorry, Hobbes, but I don't really care anymore." Kevin had been tucked safe into his bed by Alyx in the wee hours of the morning, only to be awoken by pounding on his door just before nine a.m. by Hobbes, who had apparently been looking frantically for Kevin all night long, only a call by Alyx, assuring the agent that Kevin was safe, had eased his concerns.

"That won't stop the Official from dragging you in by force," Hobbes informed him, heavily implying that that particular idea had already been bandied about during Kevin's absence. "You need to at least make an appearance if you want him to give you some breathing room."

Kevin sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He had a bitch of a hangover, but regretted nothing. He'd needed that drunk, just as Alyx had said. He wanted to get back to work, but wouldn't be able to until he lost Hobbes, who planned to stick by his side and make certain he behaved today. "Hobbes, I can't get my work done with you looking over my shoulder," he grinned as he gazed down at the shorter man, "so to speak."

"Cute, Fawkes, real funny that." Hobbes shook his head and stalked away while Kevin finished prepping the coffee, he'd been polite enough to make enough for both of them, they just needed to kill time until it was ready.

Darien had apparently become a coffee snob since coming to work for the Agency. He suspected it was more since coming to know Alyx, as it appeared that she had the means to afford the best should she wish it. So why did she still live in that crappy warehouse conversion? Hell, why hadn't she and Darien moved in together? Not that that would have worked too well in the current situation, but still.

"Hobbes, why does Darien still live here?"

Hobbes looked confused. "Why wouldn't he?"

Kevin gazed about the tiny apartment, which he imagined was perfect for thief that wanted to stay as unencumbered as possible. It certainly wasn't the last place he remembered Darien living in which had been a two bedroom on the beach he shared with a couple of roommates. "Did he live here before getting arrested, or just after?"

Hobbes blinked. "Uh, after I think. Not something I ever asked about really." He glanced around the place as if looking at it for the first time. "I'd assume after given how long he was... away."

"And he can't afford better?"

Hobbes shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I got the impression that all he needs is here."

"Except Alyx," Kevin pointed out.

"Kid's got her own place, her own life," Hobbes said in bewilderment. "I'm not sure I understand the point you're trying to make."

Kevin sighed. "Neither am I, really." He leaned back against the counter, gazing down at floor between his sock clad feet. "He got a stable life, a stable job, a stable girl, yet he still lives in this rat trap when he could probably afford a place in one of the high rises downtown. So could Alyx probably, yet she lives out in the middle of a rundown warehouse district."

Hobbes paced the room. "Kid lives out in the middle of nowhere 'cause it's quieter." He tapped the side of his head.

"Ah," Kevin said, "that makes some sense anyway."

"Now, Fawkesy, here, I'm betting doesn't think he deserves anything better... including Alyx." Hobbes shook his head with a frown. "I never really thought about it till now."

Kevin snorted. "I hadn't thought about him in years... till I woke up like this," he gestured at the body he wore. "I have to wonder; did he trust me, or was he just so desperate that he felt he had no other choice? Prison for life or his egotistical brother's crazy experiment." He scrubbed his unshaven face in his hands. "He was backed into a corner and I took advantage of it."

"That's one way to look at it. You could also say that you saved him. Bakersfield ain't exactly a country club, and he would have been lucky to survive a decade."

"Great, saved him from one prison sentence and gave him another one," Kevin muttered, wishing he hadn't started this dead end conversation. "I'm not going back to the Agency. You can tell the Official that I quit."

"Now we both know that ain't gonna go over well," Hobbes pointed out in a droll tone. "Look, I know you got something going on outside the office, and no I don't need to know what, but if you don't play along you ain't going to be able to work on it. Least not unless you convince the kid to break you out and hide you, which I'm not saying she won't do, but you might be burning some bridges you don't really want to with this choice."

Kevin had to run through the whole statement twice before he could absorb it. Hobbes had an impressive ability to pack a lot of info into a complicated and convoluted sentence structure. That said, he was correct, and Kevin hated that fact. "So what do I do?"

"You go to work, you do your job, and you collect your paycheck like the rest of us schlubs," Hobbes walked over to Kevin, poking him in the chest as he spoke, "and don't rock the boat."

"But it won't do any good. I can't find the damn gene sequence."

"So, you know it's there right?"

Kevin nodded.

"So figure out a way to work around it, or turn it off, or something. Finding that one gene can't be the only answer."

And that was the simple truth. Alyx had figured out a way around the problem, so could Kevin. If he could suppress just the toxin, without causing any side effects to the functionality of the gland... it wouldn't be a cure, and it wouldn't be perfect, but it would help. Kevin set his hands on Hobbes shoulders. "Hobbes, you are a genius."

"Okay, I can live with that." He scratched his ear. "Does that mean you're coming in... willingly?"

"Yes, Hobbes. Let me get dressed and drink some coffee and you can escort me before our lord and master for my punishment."

Hobbes snorted. "It won't be that bad."

"Yes, it will, but I have little choice in the matter at this point."

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

Kevin relaxed on the blanket looking out across the downtown skyline and the ocean off in the distance wondering why in all the time he had lived here he'd never taken the tine to sit on this hillside and take in the view. There was music wafting about from somewhere behind them and they were far from the only people to choose to spread a blanket and enjoy a repast on this beautiful afternoon.

He'd made great strides in both of his work goals. The hunt for a toxin suppressant had been going remarkably well, with several possible chemical mixtures already looking promising enough to begin preliminary testing. He had also finally gotten through all of Jennings files, and while no antidote or counter for the personality suppressor had been present, the full breakdown of the drug used had been, as well as the full description of how it worked and Kevin was already within days of his first test batch of drugs to return control to Darien. The mysterious Kat who had answered that phone number Alyx had given him, had been most useful and the lab equipment he'd needed had arrived the very next day, along with the assorted chemicals he'd requested. He wondered for an instant whom would be footing the bill for this endeavor, but knew it had to be Alyx, as she would clearly spare no expense to help.

Kevin watched as Hobbes removed his sport coat, tossing it back into the van, before grabbing the cooler he had lugged along for some reason. Yes, the blanket made the grass more comfortable and forced the chiggers and other creepy-crawlies to work for their pound of flesh, but did they really need to play the roles to the hilt? They were here at Alyx's request not for an actual picnic... or so he thought. The cooler definitely had ice in it based on the sound effects coming from within when Hobbes set it on the grass.

"Kid should be here in a few," Hobbes stated as he settled onto the blanket cross-legged. He opened up the cooler and withdrew two bottles, one of which he handed to Kevin who took it gingerly. He wasn't too certain he should be drinking after his over indulgence a few nights earlier. "How's the Keep?"

"Claire's fine, liking the idea of suppressing the toxin, which if done correctly, could allow the gland to be removed with fewer issues than currently. Finding just the right drug is going to be a challenge, but we've made a good start."

Hobbes shook his head while grinning. "Not what I meant. You two hook up yet?"

Kevin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "Hobbes, I don't think that would be appropriate given the circumstances. There's a very clear doctor/patient line that should not be crossed... and if it hasn't already been, I certainly won't be the one to do it."

"First off she's The Keeper first and doctor second, and second... thank you. Like this mess ain't complicated enough without the two of you possibly... coupling, it would just be damn awkward when Fawkes gets back for good." Hobbes stared at the beer in his hand for a few seconds then asked, "He is coming back, isn't he?"

The older, tough as nails agent missed his partner and friend, and Kevin, playing the part or not, would never be an acceptable substitute. "Yes, he is. It just may take some time, I'm afraid."

"I can live with that. Don't get me wrong, Doc, it's been... interesting having you around, but..."

"I'm not Darien, I understand. Claire and I might have some unfinished business, but I only plan to say a proper goodbye."

"She want something more?" Hobbes asked, tone carefully neutral, and it was then Kevin realized Hobbes had a thing for the blonde Keeper.

"Hobbes, we had a relationship a decade ago, even if I wanted to revisit it, it wouldn't be the same, we aren't the same people. We had our chance," Kevin shook his head and sighed. "You can't go back, more, you shouldn't." He meant more than just his relationship with Claire and Hobbes seemed to understand that.

"What about the kid?"

"Alyx? She's with Darien, and makes him very happy from what I gather, I wouldn't do anything to compromise that," Kevin told him frankly. Yes, if they'd met before Darien had come in to the picture... maybe, but that would require some serious resetting of the timeline and while good, Kevin had yet to come close to designing a time machine. If he had, he most certainly wouldn't be in his current state of quite seriously dead.

"Ah," Hobbes stated effusively, making Kevin curious as to what had brought up this question. "Keep seems to think it's her keeping the two of you from hooking up."

Kevin frowned. Claire had taken his  _no_  far more personally than he had expected; but to accuse him of wanting Alyx instead... So, okay, the body wanted Alyx, and the dreams had been... pleasurable, but in the light of day Kevin saw her only as a smart, beautiful woman who cared for his brother enough to walk away from her job. "No and no. Alyx might need me to help with her current persona issues, but only because she can still feel Darien. Nothing else."

"Good. I'd hate to have to beat you up for making a move on his girl."

Kevin laughed at the mock violence in Hobbes' voice. At least Kevin hoped it was mock, because Hobbes could hurt him quite badly should he choose to. Kevin had zero skill at fighting and less at defending himself; a six year old could easily put him down. "And speaking of our girl..."

Hobbes spun about to see Alyx walking towards them with her usual messenger bag on her hip and a picnic basket in her arms. Playing his usual gentlemanly part, Hobbes got to his feet and met her before she'd made it halfway down the hill and took the basket from her.

"Urf. What do you have in this thing, gold bricks?"

Alyx laughed, the sound spilling from her and making Kevin smile in real pleasure. She looked like she had managed to get a decent night's sleep since he'd last seen her. Of course, he was sober now and could actually make heads or tails of what he observed.

"No, Bobby, just food." She swung the bag off her shoulders and let it settle onto the edge of the blanket, kicked off her shoes, and settled onto the ground. "Sorry about the roundabout requests, I wanted to throw off any Agency followers."

"Kid, what could be so important that you need both of us here. If the Official gets wind of us meeting, he'll know something is up. Something beyond whatever the Doc here is trying to do to get our Fawkes back." Hobbes didn't look all that upset to Kevin, but he understood the danger.

She opened up the picnic basket and began passing around plates and silverware. The real stuff, not plastic and paper that could be easily disposed of once they'd eaten their fill. No, she intended to take all of it home with her for reuse on another day. Damn, did the woman ever do anything small? "I think I know who's putting pressure on the Official," she said as she then began to remove containers of food. Containers that did not look to have come from a restaurant, which meant...

"You cooked all this?" Kevin leaned forward to sneak a peek into the basket and could not help but be amazed at the amount of food she had stuffed into it.

"Yep, needed something for my hands to do while I processed data," she answered, while Hobbes just stared at her, waiting for her to follow up on that bombshell she'd just dropped in their laps.

"Kid, who? What did you find out? And why did you want Fawkes here?"

"Fawkes is here because I have questions that only he has the answers to."

"Me? What could I possibly know about this?" Kevin really had no clue. He'd been woken up with the situation already having spiraled out of control.

"Not about this, Kevin, not directly anyway. Eat. You probably won't want to once I've started asking my questions."

"Kid..."

"We have time, Bobby. I'll know long before anyone finds us, but with you babysitting Kevin they won't really have any reason to track him down." She reached into the cooler, pulling out a beer for herself. Kevin smiled when the top popped off without anyone having touched it.

"And they ain't following you?"

She shrugged. "They try, they fail," she grinned as she tipped the bottle up to her lips. "Have lots of people trying to track me down, none have succeeded."

Hobbes piled food onto the plate, eyeing her sideways. "Who else is following you?"

"Not sure, else I'd be making some very cranky phone calls to some very powerful people," Alyx told them, her look dangerous. She was not happy about being spied upon.

"Alyx, I don't want to put you into more danger-"

Alyx laughed. "Kevin, I appreciate the sentiment, but it's unneeded. Now eat, I spent all day cooking and don't want it to go to waste."

They ate and talked about nothing of importance for the next thirty minutes, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful southern California weather. Alyx, even after a couple beers, didn't actually relax, the news she had keeping her tense and on alert. Hobbes didn't actually relax much either, especially after learning someone other than the Agency had been trying to follow his partner. It was clear on his face that he wondered if all of them had been under scrutiny by multiple forces all along.

Finally, after close to an hour had passed, Hobbes pushed his plate aside; the remains of the key lime pie nothing but a scattering of crumbs, and looked her in the eye. "Time to spill, kid."

She nodded. She had finished and cleaned up her own plates quite some time ago, just waiting patiently for the two of them to be ready. Hobbes had eaten his fill and then some, as if suspecting it might be his last good meal for a while, but, then again, it was Alyx's cooking, which, to put it simply, was fantastic. Little wonder Darien kept her around if she made certain to fill his belly with her culinary masterpieces.

"What do you remember of your father?" she asked as she leaned over casually and withdrew a few files and her laptop from the bag.

"My dad? Not much really. We never had much even before he left, my mom working long shifts to make certain we had food on the table, but when dad was there... he was  _there_ , if you know what I mean." Kevin ran a hand through his hair. He remembered his father as a gentle giant, always full of laughter and fun when at home, his job taking him away for weeks at a time. It wasn't until he had been much older that he'd learned his father had been a thief.

"I understand," Alyx said. "How old were you when you found out... what he did for a living?"

Kevin thought back. "Older, ten or eleven at a guess. I remember a huge fight between him and my mom when I was eight or so, and he left and never came back. I didn't find out the truth until I overheard a discussion between my mom and grams. They changed the subject as soon as they realized I could hear them, but the damage had been done." He shifted, sitting up to take up a position cross legged, finding it oddly amusing that Darien could do this at his age, when Kevin hadn't been able to, least not without his feet falling asleep in a short amount of time. "What does my dad being a thief have to do with anything?"

She smiled. "I don't think he was a thief."

"Kid, Fawkes, our Fawkes, freely admits he followed in his father's footsteps," Hobbes pointed out, only a hint of confusion in his voice.

Kevin added, "What else could my father possibly have been? A longshoreman?"

Alyx snickered. "Ah, no, though that would make an interesting twist to this story. Not that mine isn't a tad unexpected." She rubbed her eyes with one hand. "Like I said, I think I know who has been putting pressure on the Official."

"What does that have to do with Fawkes' father?" Hobbes questioned, looking as confused as he sounded.

"I'll get there, I promise."

"Who Alyx, who pushed the Official so hard that he brought me back from the dead for no real reason and drove you away," Kevin asked, willing to give her some leeway for now.

"A US Security Agency employee named Malachi Royce has been making requests for Darien's services for the last six weeks or so. The Official had been giving him the runaround when the far more polite no's didn't stick." She picked up her bottle of beer and drank, finishing it off. "I did some digging into Royce and learned he's the handler of a man who goes by the name Forrester Perdue."

Kevin blinked, recognizing that name. "My gram's maiden name is Perdue."

Hobbes scratched an ear. "Thought that would be Donovan."

Kevin shook his head. "No, Peter was my mom's side of the family. Grams is my dad's mom." He turned to Alyx, "You can't be saying that this Forrester Perdue and my dad are the same person?"

"I'm not saying anything, just drawing a logical conclusion based on the facts."

"Must be some damn good facts, kid."

She handed him one of the files. "Mason Fawkes' supposed incarceration record. Please make note of the dates while he still lived with his family."

Hobbes thumbed through the files hmmming at what he read. "Okay, what else?"

Alyx grinned and handed him a second file. "Missions performed by one Perdue Forrester during the same time period."

He thumbed through the file, went back to the beginning and went through it slower, and then a third time while also paging through the first file he'd been given, all the while his eyes getting larger and larger.

"Well?" Kevin, grumbled, wishing they would just come out with it and tell him.

"Your guess was dead on, Doc. All these dates match up perfectly," Hobbes told him in hushed tones, as if shocked as hell to learn the truth as well. He held out the files for Kevin to take, which he did with a sneer on his face, absolutely sure their evidence would fail to hold up under close scrutiny.

His surety stumbled quickly as he read, the dates indeed matching. "These mean little to me. I mean the dates he was in jail are pretty obvious but the others, the assignments seem pretty vague. In August of 1973 he was on temporary duty in Italy. Why is that of any significance? He was vet... Vietnam, I think. You saying he stayed with the military after?"

Alyx shook her head. "More like he got recruited. I have one more file." She held it out, but Hobbes got to it first. Instead of waiting his turn, Kevin scooted around to read over Hobbes' shoulder.

Kevin, even though it was unnecessary, flipped back through the two files he held, comparing the dates. "Wait. My dad was an assassin?"

"Is an assassin," Hobbes corrected without thinking. "Up until two months ago from the look of things." He lifted his head to look at Alyx. "Where did you get these from, kid? And how badly is it going to bite you on the ass?"

"Well, the arrest record I got from the great state of California, who never throws anything away, but conveniently scans everything into their electronic archives. The others are all from the Security Agency database." Alyx didn't sound the least bit smug even with the hint of a smile on her face.

Hobbes sighed heavily. "Jeez, kid. What does this have to do with the Agency?"

"Something has happened to Perdue and this Royce is looking for a replacement," Kevin stated softly, as the pieces fell into place, "and he wanted to keep it in the family."

"Christ," Hobbes muttered. "If he came looking for Fawkes... he could find you." He looked straight at Alyx.

"That was my conclusion as well. However, I've done any number of jobs for numerous clandestine agencies, many of which had full disclosure, so why does this Royce poking his nose into Agency business spook the Official so badly?"

"Maybe he's not looking to recruit Darien, but use him to draw my... this Perdue out," Kevin suggested, only stumbling slightly. He had always suspected his father was still alive, but, given his total abandonment of his family, no longer gave a good god damn about any of them.

Hobbes grunted. "Possibly. Though I think a deeper game is going on here. You got other info, kid?"

"But of course," she said with a flourish, opening her laptop and urging the two men to huddle close to look at the screen. "So, according to his military file Mason Fawkes was a sniper back in 'Nam, and a damn good one at that. When the war ended he got recruited to continue working, eventually ending up with the USSA."

"And somewhere along the way settled down and had a couple of kids," Hobbes muttered shaking his head.

"Why is that bad?" Kevin asked, not really understanding the dismay he could hear in Hobbes' voice.

"Even with a cover persona, you put everyone close to you at risk and they  _will_  be used against you at some point in your career." Hobbes glanced over at Alyx. "Even by  _your_  side if they think it's necessary."

Kevin didn't get what the glance meant, and pushed it aside for now. "Okay, so the government tried to cover his missions by saying he was in jail, why wouldn't he have told my mom the truth?"

"He probably wasn't permitted to read her in. The rules are pretty damn strict when it comes to revealing the truth, and... and if your mom thought his being a thief was unacceptable, what would she have thought about him being an assassin?" Alyx sounded sympathetic, as if understanding completely how hard this could be on a family.

"Shit," Kevin muttered, settling back on the grass, not needing to see the details of his father's career in the service to the government. "Where is he? My dad?"

"Not a clue," Alyx answered. "Gone rogue according to Royce, though I've seen no signs of that."

"You think Royce is blowing smoke?" Hobbes asked turning from the screen to look at Alyx who shrugged.

"I think something went down and Perdue left for a reason. What exactly, I will need to dig deeper to find out."

"Your spidey-sense is tingling," Hobbes commented making her smirk.

"Oh yes, but I don't know why. The impressions are still too vague to be of any real use. Trouble is as long as he's poking the Official with sticks this three-way stalemate will continue." She looked over at Kevin who met her gaze with eyes surely filled with pain and confusion. "I know this is a lot to absorb-"

Kevin shook his head and got to his feet, pacing about the blanket. "No, it makes perfect sense." He laughed bitterly. "Darien followed in dad's footsteps better than he ever knew. All that effort to be the best thief ever and it did nothing more than train him for his current position as a spy. Damn it. Did Pete know? Did he let Darien keep refining his skills knowing a job awaited him at the Agency? Did he die before Darien was completely ready? Have our entire lives been planned out?"

"Destiny is looking to be a bit more than the stuff of fantasy and romance novels now, isn't it?" Alyx said in such a droll tone that Kevin could only laugh in response.

"Sadly, yes. If the Emperor ever knew that Anakin had had children..."

Alyx giggled. "A misquote, but yes, like that."

Hobbes sighed. "A bit too much of the ego there, don't you think?"

"Only a little," Kevin argued with a smile. "So what do we do? How do we get Royce to back off?"

" _We_  ain't doing nothing, Doc," Hobbes grumbled. "Now way we are risking your hide on this one. Royce is looking for a replacement hitter, if he gets his hands on you he'll quickly figure out he both doesn't have the guy he wants and the most useful weapon on the planet."

Alyx quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Kid, if Royce figures out he can stuff whoever he wants into Darien's body, he could have daddy back in a much younger body and ready for another twenty-five years of jobs."

Even Kevin paled at that statement. "Oh shit. That would be bad."

"Egon bad," Alyx agreed, causing Hobbes to snort in laughter.

Even Kevin got the reference, but he could not drum up any amusement for it. "And if he knew about you," he looked at Alyx, "you would no longer be working for the Agency."

Alyx protested, "I am  _not_  a paid hit man."

Kevin shrugged. "Maybe not, but all he has to do is find your weakness and you'd do whatever he wanted." He looked her right in the eye. "Tell me I'm wrong."

She flicked her eyes over to Hobbes, then back to Kevin, her lips set in a thin line of unhappiness. "Wish I could. Fuck."

"So what do we do?" Kevin asked again, knowing they needed to stop this now, before things spiraled even further out of their control.

"Kid, maybe you should talk to the Official," Hobbes suggested as he continued to peruse the additional information she had on her hard drive. "Damn, this guy is good."

"Very good," Alyx added. "And, aside from his handler, I'm pretty certain no one else had made the connection between Perdue and Mason Fawkes."

"But the fact that you have, puts you in danger," Kevin said, wishing like hell it weren't true. "You need to stay out of this. Let the Official handle it."

Hobbes ground his teeth. "The Official isn't handling it, he's hiding under a rock, and hoping Royce will get bored and wander away."

"Which he isn't going to do," Alyx pointed out. "Gods, what a fucked up mess. If he had just come to us in the beginning... And I have to wonder what Arnie kidnapping Claire has to do with any of this."

"Probably nothing, other than giving this Royce the opportunity he needed to make his move against the Agency." Hobbes reached for another beer out of the cooler, shaking off the excess moisture from the now melting ice inside. "Why does he need a hitter so badly?"

"Methinks I should find that out," Alyx said. "I have a feeling Royce might be playing his own game."

"Some off the books missions?" Hobbes questioned, his brow creasing in thought. "And Perdue said no. That could explain the whole gone rogue accusation. He pushed, Royce pushed back."

"And when the burn notice didn't work he went for the next best thing: his family." Alyx frowned. "Ah blackmail, how deeply thy wounds cut."

"Blackmail doesn't work if you don't care," Kevin reminded; the one and only flaw in their theory.

"You're making the assumption he doesn't care. Not being around does not equal not caring," she told him, tone cold, but pain in her eyes.

Kevin took a moment to absorb not only her statement, but the delivery and the wounded look in her eyes. "You saying he stayed away to protect us?"

"Fits the scenario," Hobbes agreed with a nod of his head.

"And we don't want to screw that up," Alyx said point blank. "We do not go looking for Perdue, we do not break his cover, burned or not. If the Official is unaware of the connection we do not change that, understood." She aimed a steely gaze at each of them in turn, waiting until she got definite nods of agreement.

"So we go after Royce," Hobbes said, as it was the only plan left available to them.

"No,  _I_  go after Royce. You," she pointed at Hobbes, "keep him," she hooked a thumb over her shoulder at Kevin who stood behind her, "safe and able to work."

"But if you need help-"

"I'll be giving you a call, promise." She closed the laptop and set it aside, ignoring Hobbes protests. "Now, sit and relax for a few minutes."

Kevin paced about a bit more, trying to process all the information he'd just been given. If not for the fact nothing about him had actually changed he would have sworn he'd just stepped from one reality to another. His father having gone from a small time thief who had walked out on the burden of a family to pursue a life of crime, to a man who walked away from the people he cared about most to protect them. It was a lot to deal with, Alyx had the right of that, but actually helped. He'd always...not hated, but never really cared about his father because of his leaving, and now... now he was just plain confused. The apathy softening in light of this new information even if it were too late by far for all of them. And...  _and_  the thought that he might have been watching them, if only from afar the entire time, just kind of freaked him out.

He sank on the edge of the blanket. "Oy, I think my brain is going to explode."

Alyx chuckled softly. "I can imagine. Felt the same when I found out the truth about my husband." She set a hand on his bare arm, her palm warm against his surprisingly chilled skin. "It gets easier."

"I hope so. My entire life... It's not what I thought it was."

"Sure it was, Doc. Your perception has changed, not what you did. All that's still the same," Hobbes explained, showing, though not a genius, he was still more than smart enough see things that were obvious.

Kevin turned to Alyx, who he was certain would understand. "This is insane."

"Yep, it is," she agreed, "and I doubt it's going to get any less so once I start really digging."

"Then don't. Leave well enough alone. Royce has no power over Darien."

"Yet," Alyx corrected, causing Kevin to frown at that one word that could be a serious game changer.

Kevin held his head in his hands. "I think I have a headache," he muttered.

"Here, this'll help," Hobbes said handing him an already opened beer.

Kevin took it with a sigh. It wouldn't help, not really, but it would blur the lines for a while longer and that... that was better than nothing. "Thanks."

Hobbes nodded. "Drink up. Come tomorrow we all have a lot of work to do."

Kevin choked on the beer. "And  _that_  is the understatement of the week."

Alyx just laughed and lay back on the blanket, her toes wiggling in the grass.

Hobbes was correct, best to relax and smell the roses while they could, tomorrow would come, as it inevitably does, and it would be a whole new ball game.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

"Uh, Claire, what's going on?"

Claire pushed away from the computer and turned about, looking both tired and excited at the same time. "You were going to tell me the test results match the models and I was going to cheer and hug you."

He gazed about in bewilderment. "Why would I do that? And why am I in the Keep?"

Claire got to her feet, the smile on her face fading as she moved closer to him. She took the pile of print outs from his hand without even glancing at them. "Kevin, are you all right?"

"Kevin? Sorry, wrong Fawkes brother."

Claire's face scrunched up in confusion, then paled as realization hit. "Darien? Oh my god. Darien, is that you?"

Darien gazed about the Keep feeling dazed and as if he'd way overslept. "Yeah, why is that so exciting?"

She all but threw the papers aside as she closed the distance between them, her hands settling on him, as if looking for an injury. "Darien, Jennings injected Kevin with a personality suppressor, you've been... gone for a couple of weeks now."

Darien removed Claire's hands and took a step back. "Two weeks? Shit. Is Alyx all right?"

Claire burst out in near hysterical laughter. "You've been asleep for two weeks and your first concern if for Alyx? Are you certain you're Darien Fawkes?"

He frowned, not liking what he was hearing from the good Keeper. "Yeah, I'm sure. She here?" He moved to head towards the door, but Claire shifted quickly to stop him.

"No, she's officially taken sick leave."

"And unofficially?"

"She's refusing to work until you're back," Claire explained.

Darien smiled. "That's my girl. So, I take it the Official won't be too happy to know I'm back." Much to his surprise his words began to slur towards the end as a searing pain began to build in the front of his head. He staggered, Claire catching him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Darien, are you all right?"

He shook his head, trying to fight the pain, afraid of what it could mean. "Damn it," he groused as the next wave drove him to his knees. Claire supported him as each wave broke higher and harder, making him moan and then all but scream in pain and then... nothing.

Slowly he got to his feet, wondering why he had found himself on the floor near the door to the Keep. "Um, I know I'm a klutz, but you'd think I'd remember tripping coming into the lab."

"Darien?"

"No, I'm Kevin, remember," he teased. Then the significance of her words registered. "Wait, was Darien here?"

Mutely Claire nodded.

"How long?" he asked as excitement shot through him. He must be close if the drug he'd injected himself with in the wee hours of this morning had given Darien any control at all.

"A minute or two. Why?" Claire answered, urging him over towards the exam chair.

"Why? Because..." He stopped just in time; he'd nearly spilled the beans on his after hours activities. "Because it means Jennings' suppressor has a shelf life and appears to be wearing off or failing."

"But we're so close," Claire said only to receive a glare for her trouble. "You're right, of course. We can't allow Jennings to know. Has he followed up with those tests?"

"Yes, by just asking for more blood samples, which means he's looking for some marker we have yet to identify in my system." Kevin hopped off the chair, a hand running through his hair. "A marker he's finding. Which means I can find it as well." His excitement was palpable and he began to pace, mentally running through tests he could possibly run to find what Jennings had in his blood.

Claire set hand on his shoulders and spun him about, kissing him much to his surprise. "Claire," he squawked, pushing her away step.

"Hush. You don't want to be overheard, do you?" she hissed, then resumed kissing him. He wanted to push her away, but the moment his hands settled upon her his resistance failed. He really did want this, and for the time being was willing to give in and enjoy the moment.

Claire broke away first. "Kevin..."

He sucked in a long breath, trying to ignore the fact he'd lost his left leg somewhere along the way. "We have work to do. If the suppressor is breaking down then we are running out of time." He wanted to tell Claire the truth; that he had been working on a counter to Jennings' cocktail, but dare not. Better to let her assume that it was breaking down all on its own and not have to lie should the Official decide to question her.

Claire giggled. "After you've fully returned, I think."

He sighed. "Agreed." He checked the monitor, watching as a segment blinked to red before his eyes bringing him up to five full. He forced himself to calm down, trying to regulate his breathing and heart rate until the Quicksilver finally flaked away. "At five and not due for an inhibitor shot for a few days, if I'm counting correctly."

"You are. It will be ready with plenty of time to spare." She gave him the once over. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes. Was... did Darien seem okay?" He moved back towards the desk while Claire retrieved the print outs that had vanished from his hand while he'd been... elsewhere.

"Yes, Kevin, a touched confused of course, but seemed to be fine. He seemed most concerned about Alyx," she told him as she looked over the results. "Bollocks."

"Is Alyx all right?" Kevin asked.

Claire shot him a deadly glare that quickly vanished. "As far as I know, I've not spoken to her since she walked out. Talk to Bobby if you have any concerns. I was swearing over these," she waved the results in her hand. "Not as good as we'd hoped according to the results."

"Damn," Kevin muttered as he held out his hand for the papers to read over. "We're close though, I'm certain of that. If we can control the toxin..."

Claire nodded. "Exactly." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We could break for lunch if you want some time to regroup."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'll eat a big dinner later. Let's get back to this."

She nodded and sat down next to him. "All right, where do we begin?"

 


	17. Chapter 17

"Christ, Alyx, you're a mess," Kevin observed, noting the bruises and what looked like singe marks on her clothes. "What have you been doing?"

She shrugged, stripping out of the jacket that smelled like melted nylon. "Stuff," was all she would say. The shirt she wore looked to be in marginally better shape than her jacket, only a few of the singe marks having burned through it to reveal skin. "What do you need, Kevin," her tone had gone from neutral to decidedly unfriendly.

"You haven't been by the unit since the picnic, I wanted to make sure you were okay, is all." He cautiously stepped closer to her, giving her the once over. She didn't look too good even if you ignored the burns, bruises and dirt smudges. "When did you last sleep? And I mean more than just an hour or two."

She shot a deadly glare in his direction. "None of your business, Kevin."

"Since last Tuesday, right?"

She went stock still, the angry look fading for an instant. "Yeah, what of it?"

"You've felt it, haven't you? Felt  _him_ ," Kevin said, excitement coloring his words.

She just stared at him as if he'd turned a completely lovely shade of insane.

"Alyx," he got close enough to set hands on her shoulders, "Darien made a two minute appearance Tuesday. Freaked Claire out to put it mildly." He watched as relief washed across her features. "The first of several visits, in fact."

The stunned look on her face pretty much summed up what had to be running through her mind. "I thought I'd gone crazy," she told him in a soft voice.

"Not a chance. You are the most sane person I have ever met. Me on the other hand... I have been wandering all over the planet emotionally, and my concentration is pretty much shot to hell." Neither of them had moved, her looking up at him and meeting his eyes. "What I'm doing is working, but not consistently."

"You're reacting as Darien would, not just due to that muscle memory you mentioned," she surmised, and not incorrectly.

He nodded. "He's in here, so close I can feel it, but not quite able to wake up." Without thinking about what he was doing, one hand moved to cup her face, she reacted by closing her eyes and leaning into it. This was not the right thing to do, but he couldn't seem to stop himself as he leaned down to place a delicate kiss on her lips. She whimpered; the sound shockingly desperate and lonely to his ears. He found he wanted this, but wasn't sure whether the emotions were his or his brothers.

A moment later it didn't matter.

He buried both hands in her hair, swiping his tongue across her lips encouraging her to open her mouth, which she did with a soft moan. They spent the next several eternities lost to each other, hands and mouths finding and seeking flesh until he pulled back panting. Alyx never missed a beat, the shirt unbuttoned low enough for her tongue to leave a trail down his sternum. "Stop, woman, I need to breathe," he complained with a choked laugh, his voice stolen away at the emotional needs rippling through him. Shit, he couldn't remember the last time they'd gotten quite so lost in each other.

"Don't want to," she mumbled against his skin, her breath hot on his exposed flesh.

"I know, but I don't know how much time I have." He gently pushed her back, and tipped her head up to look into her eyes. Look? Hell, fall into them knowing he'd never,  _ever_  strike bottom.

"Damn it. Is that why he kissed me?"

Darien growled. "Better be, else there's gonna be trouble in paradise." He pulled her close, wrapping his arms about her and wanting to hang on forever. "He's tried some things and it's working, kinda. I keep making unexpected appearances. He was hoping that being near to you would draw me out, but we have no clue how to keep me here," he explained hurriedly. "Any ideas?"

She pulled back enough to look up at him, her thinking cap firmly in place. "If the counter for the suppressor isn't enough then he's going to need to purge his RNA from the gland."

"Ok, would the anti-peptide shot used to remove Cole do that?"

She shook her head. "He tried that first and it didn't do  _anything_  as far as we could tell." She leaned forward and inhaled deeply, making him shiver in pleasure. "His RNA may also have migrated to your brain, which would make the exercise a bit more challenging."

"A bit more?" He curled about her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll let him know... somehow. How are you?"

"Better to have you here." She sighed deeply. "I've missed you, Darien," she told him in a tiny voice. The emotions he got from her told him so much more, his absence had damn near broken her, trying to hold onto the her she saw herself as had been difficult at best and impossible at worst. "There's so much to tell you..."

"And not nearly enough time," he finished. "Less talking then, more being and we'll deal with the rest when I'm back for good, 'kay?"

"Okay," she agreed, her hands settling on his hips and pulling him closer.

He knew they wouldn't have time to do what they both really wanted, he could already feel the headache building, ready to explode into mind searing pain that would end with him being replaced with Kevin. But he could live with it this time, because he knew soon enough he would be back for good and have her in his arms once again. "Don't freak when I go, it's not pretty, and don't get mad at Kevin. The kissing you thing was my idea." He smiled and shrugged. "Thought it might be worth a try."

"Darien, I-"

"Hush, and enjoy the moment, sweets. I most certainly am."

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, before nodding. "I'll tell Kevin, make certain he gets to work on it soonest. I... I'm losing me without you."

Darien smiled. "Always good to know you're missed." The pain upped a notch, pressure from his alternate personality forcing the issue since he refused to relinquish control. Not that that method had worked any better, just made the pain slightly less likely to make him scream. This time, with Alyx here in his arms he'd fight for every last second. "I'm coming back for you, Alyx, remember that."

His head exploded, driving him to his knees. He could feel Alyx's hands upon him, her voice trying to soothe him and ease the pain, but only one thing would make it end. He stopped fighting it then and let the world go dark about him.

He lifted his head, his knees hurting thanks to the hardwood floor beneath them. "Alyx, it's okay. I'm fine."

She stepped back, offering him a hand to get up. "How long, Kevin?"

"A week. I've modified and upped the dosage, but nothing is regulating the shifts, or making the switch to Darien permanent."

"Did you kiss me, or was it pressure from Darien?"

"Both?" he answered, not certain she would like the any response he gave her. "It was his idea. We've been exchanging notes when we can. Darien doesn't always hang around for very long."

"So I gathered. He got just over five minutes this time.

"A new record. We suspected that being near you would gain him some more time; hoped it might make the swap permanent, but that clearly failed to happen." He stalked away, hands running through his hair. He glanced down and realized that he was not only still quite aroused, but that his shirt had been unbuttoned to his navel. He began to button it with a soft chuckle. He should have known that the two of them would dive in headfirst and not come up to breathe until absolutely necessary.

"A good thought, but not enough. Either the suppressor or your extended presence has rewritten the code of his brain, making you the dominant personality without having to flood his system with melatonin. I'm not certain the persona swap  _can_  be regulated now, even if the body and the gland are completely free of the drug that caused this." Her mood had vastly improved since he had arrived, but she had also made certain to keep it strictly professional, falling back on logic and science to protect her.

Sadly her conclusions were the same ones he had come to. "So how do we get rid of me?"

"Need to target your DNA/RNA and purge it from he gland and his brain... hell from him. You could be swimming freely in there attempting to overwrite  _him_  at this point. Gah!" She threw up her hands in frustration and stalked away, heading for her kitchen. "Such a stupid thing to attempt with so little knowledge of what could possibly occur." She glanced over at him. "Beer?"

"Got wine?"

She nodded. "Red or white? Never mind, I'll bring both, I have the feeling we're going to need it." She grabbed both bottles and a couple of wine glasses and carried them over to the living room, plopped down on the sofa and began to pour a generous amount of the red into both glasses. "Sit," she ordered, holding out a glass for him to take.

He walked around the end of the sofa, took the glass, swirled it about before breathing in the scent. If it tasted half as good as it smelled then it would be a very fine vintage indeed. He sipped as he sat, more than pleased at the flavor. "How do we get rid of me?"

"Good frickin' question," she muttered. "I'd suggest a suicide gene, but your DNA is probably too close a match to Darien's and that would lead to bad things happening."

"Very bad things," he agreed, "but you're on the right track. Trouble is we'd need a sample of my DNA/RNA to target..." he trailed off thinking. "What about a virus?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "In what way? Any virus introduced would be attacked by white blood cells... Wait... that might work. Program the virus to target your DNA/RNA only, once they've attacked  _you_ , the white blood cells would then do their job removing the converted cells." She cocked her head slightly. "If it worked then he would generate anti-bodies that would be resistant to your DNA. You could never be implanted into the gland again."

"I don't think that's a bad thing do you?" Kevin had realized the end result as soon as he had suggested it. Hell, if he played it right he might be able to make the Official believe that Darien could never host anyone ever again.

"Yes, and no," she answered honestly. "He still has so many questions."

"I know, and I'll answer all I can before I leave, but the time has come. If I stay, he'll vanish forever." He leaned back into the cushions, shocked at how comfortable they were. "We have one problem with this plan."

She laughed, "Only one?"

He chuckled as well. "Okay, smarty-pants, one major one. We need samples of my RNA and DNA to program the viral vector… and I have no idea if there are any more."

She smiled grimly. "You leave that to me. You get to work on programming the virus. That will take the longest since you have to make certain it'll target only your DNA and not make Darien sick."

"I'll go easy on him," Kevin assured her already moving ahead to the best choice for a virus. One that could handle some serious modifications without losing it's programmed purpose. "This is going to take a few days."

"Yep, it will. I'll have what you need in plenty of time." She finished off the wine and picked up the bottle of white this time, pouring some into her glass. "You going to tell Claire?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't want to compromise her loyalties. If she thinks it happened all on it's own, that Jennings' suppressor failed, it'll be easier on her."

"It won't be easier on her, Kevin, just as this hasn't been easy on me. She is going to miss you, so make certain to say your goodbyes properly."

"Alyx, I can't do that, she wants... What she wants is inappropriate given the situation."

"Kevin, I'm not a child, I know exactly what she wants. I'm a big girl, I can deal with it."

He shook his head. "I'm not certain Darien can, never mind Claire. Their relationship is a precarious one as it is, and I won't screw it up just to have sex with an old flame." He hated being so blunt, but Alyx had made it clear that being blunt was just fine. Hell, she'd just dealt with him kissing her and turning into Darien mid-smoochie. Yes, she could probably deal with Darien and Claire having sex that still didn't make it the right thing to do... no matter how much he wanted to do it.

"You don't love her?"

Kevin sighed heavily. "I did once, but that was years ago. We've both changed since we last saw each other, me most of all," he added with a wry chuckle. "I think we're both more in love with the memory of what we  _were_  than the reality of what we  _are_. If we had met any way other than this..." He shook his head. "Too much water under that bridge and if she's been holding onto my memory all these years it's past time she let go."

Alyx smiled. "I'll say it again; smarter than you look."

Kevin laughed, understanding her better than he had thought possible when they had first met. "I'll get to work on the simulations tomorrow. You'll bring me the samples when you... acquire them?"

"I will indeed. Drink, we're going to finish these bottles of wine and discuss the best way of targeting that viral vector so you aren't starting from scratch."

He held out his glass to be filled and she obliged with a smile.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

It was well after midnight when Alyx arrived at the storage unit three days later with a hard sided cooler in her hand. She canted the lid open to show him the sample bottles within. He lifted them up one at a time to examine the contents. Blood, semen, and spinal fluid, all of which he remembered donating while at Perseus. The mRNA was missing of course, the lone sample having been used to grant him this false life in the body of his brother.

"Were there any other samples?" he asked as she set the cooler in the fridge.

"No, and if there had been they would have gone just as mysteriously missing. I can't promise they don't have some stored off site, but those would probably be older samples anyway." Alyx shrugged out of her jacket, hooked a chair with her foot to drag over next to him and sat down. "Any other visits by Darien?"

He nodded. "Several a day, actually, though they only last a few minutes at most. The frequency hasn't decreased, which is a good sign, but the current share ratio is unacceptable."

Alyx snorted. " 'Share ratio.' Who knew we'd talk about body swapping in a such a clinical and yet mundane manner."

"Well, if this works as we hope you'll never have to talk about it again. You and Claire can write up an article on it, all supposition of course, that will get buried in the back of some obscure journal and laughed at by the few who do read it and all the while know the world is far more mysterious than even the most open-minded scientist ever expected.

"Laugh is the least of what they'd do. Run us out of town with pitchforks and torches is far more likely. Playing god with people is not a popular theme right now."

"And yet look at us... all three of us."

"Modern miracles of science," Alyx stated, "and not a single one of us happy with that fact."

"True enough," Kevin agreed. "Claire and I are close to a solution on managing the toxin without harming the rest of the gland. Biggest issue, as always, is the addiction, but if it works, you should be able to slowly reduce the secretion so to as cause few if any withdrawal symptoms."

"Good. It's a perfect option and would all but eliminate the need for Counteragent. It will need rigorous testing first," she pointed out, not about to risk Darien no matter how useful the potential benefits might be.

"In the planning stages. It'll require live testing to make certain there are not any unexpected side-effects, so it's still a wait and see proposition. She probably won't tell Darien until certain of its veracity..."

"Mum's the word. I know better than to get his hopes up. When I'm certain my removal technique is safe for him, he'll be told. He'll have all the options he needs to make an informed decision about his life and the Agency," Alyx assured him. "Now, show me what you have. I want to know what to expect when Darien wakes up."

"Demanding little thing aren't you," Kevin groused, but with a real smile. She wanted her partner back in a bad way and Kevin would work as hard as he could to see that it happened, but not at the risk of Darien's life. The simulations looked promising, but there was always a huge difference between a sim and reality.

Alyx scooted closer to look over the work in detail. "We should be able to spare a sample to make certain it targets your specific genetics only."

Kevin nodded. "Exactly what I had planned. Won't be able to verify the white blood cells working unless we happen to get some out of Darien's blood sample."

"I hate having him play guinea pig, but there's little choice this time." She leaned back in the chair, hands behind her head. "Once we're as sure as we can be that it works, how long?"

"I'll need three days. There's some work here I need to finish, okay?"

"Okay? Kevin, you know he'd want you to stay, don't you?"

He nodded. "I know, but I can't, I don't belong here anymore." He nudged her. "Besides I'll be leaving him in the best of hands."

She smiled, but there was a sadness to it, one that seemed to suggest Darien would not be the only one missing his brother. "The best they can be."

"How is your other work going?" he asked, knowing that if that problem hadn't been resolved bringing Darien back would leave him in the same place; possible bait for this agent Royce.

"Swimmingly," she muttered, rubbing her forehead with one hand. She looked like she'd been going short on sleep again. Darien's surprise visits screwing with her mind even when miles apart. "I have the files, but no real proof. I can't tie him to anything illegal, and his requests of the Agency have begun to sound more like demands. Eberts is pulling every trick in his book to get this man off their backs, but Royce has pull even the Official might not be able to resist."

"Shit. Do you need to speak to this Perdue?" Kevin asked, seeing it as the most reasonable solution. Perdue would either have indeed gone rogue, or would know why his handler had chosen to throw him to the wolves.

"In truth, yes, it would be the fastest way to get my questions answered, but I won't pursue that avenue unless absolutely necessary."

"Why not?" Kevin asked in real curiosity.

"Because if he really is Mason Fawkes, and has been watching all of you from afar, drawing him out into the open would put all of you at risk. Your Aunt Celia, your grams, and Darien. Hell, it might put me at risk as well since it isn't as if we go to any great effort to hide our relationship. We take due care, but anyone with half a clue can figure out we're knocking boots fairly regularly."

"This spy business is way too complicated," he groused, shaking his head. "You sound as if you are speaking from experience."

She nodded slowly, as if not wanting to really admit to anything. "I have family that until recently thought I was dead."

"But you contacted them."

"The risk of not contacting them was greater than keeping silent and hoping the trouble would go away." She sighed heavily, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "My husband worked for a black ops agency, one so deep we haven't identified it yet. There were concerns my brothers and their families would be used against me so I felt it better to warn them than let them go on in blissful ignorance." She smiled grimly. "Needless to say they were not happy with little sis."

"But they understood?"

"Once they got over the lies and deceptions... yes. My brothers are no fools and both have jobs that require secrecy, so while mad at me, acted on my concerns." She shrugged. "If things go well, I'll be able to meet with them on occasion."

"And your husband?"

"Dead, by a member of his own agency when they realized he could no longer control me." The ache on her heart could be felt by him even from several feet away. He tried to recall if there remained any beer in the tiny fridge; she looked like she needed it right about now.

"Did you... did you have children with him?" he asked in pure curiosity.

She flinched, not able to control her emotions at the moment; her guard quite down for the first time since they'd met. "Kevin-"

Certain comments of hers fell into the proper alignment right then and he knew he had stumbled across information of great import to the QSX project… and her. "Holy crap, that's how you know the QSX abilities are dominant, you've passed them on to your children."

"Kevin, stop being so god damned smart. Yes, that's how I know. I have four children that some mystery agency would love to get their hands on. I don't dare be anywhere near them."

"You stay away to protect them? But if their father is dead..."

"One of my brother's is caring for them."

"Why not you?" he questioned, with only a hint of confusion in his voice. "You are more than capable of protecting them from an army, much less a few ninja spies."

Alyx laughed, as he had hoped, lightening the mood that had been swiftly growing bleak. "Look at me, Kevin. Not only do I appear to be all of sixteen, but I have these abilities that could crack the world open should I get angry enough. Plus throw in a few ninja spies and their big brothers all wanting a piece of me, and what exactly do I have to offer my children? A life on the run and hunted?" She shook her head. "They deserve a chance at a normal life, and they won't have that with me around."

Hard to argue with logic like that. "Alyx... I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject." Which it obviously had been for her, but it gave him just what he'd needed: insight into his father and why he may have chosen as he had. "I just wanted to understand."

She leaned forward and set a hand on his knee. "I know, I just don't talk about them very often."

"What happens if we can't get Darien back? Will you leave the Agency for good?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I haven't gotten that far. I'm kinda still hoping to get him back."

"Me too," Kevin assured her, "but if we can't?"

"I'll think of something. Maybe go into business for myself. I'm a passable computer geek. I could go back to that, I suppose."

Kevin shook his head. "And let your skills go to waste? No, you'd go into business, all right, but you'd try to fix the world all on your own. I can't see you not using your abilities."

"Maybe I'll turn evil and take over the world instead, reign over it with benevolence and a firm hand."

Kevin laughed. "I can see that, you'd be wrathful but just, judging everyone on their own merits and dispensing punishment equal to the crime and no more."

She laughed as well. "You give me far too much credit," she told him, the smile reaching her eyes for a change. "Forget what you know about me, Kevin. There are people out there who will kill for it."

"Alyx," he shook his head. "If things go as I plan it won't be an issue."

She snorted. "Sorry force of habit."

"I want you to know-"

She held up a hand. "No, Kevin, it's not time for your epitaph, not yet, and I am not the person you should be telling it to anyway. That's for family."

He nodded, tempted to argue that she was family, through Darien's relationship with her. "You're right. One of those chances I never had."

"I can't change the past, Kevin. I'm not  _that_  good," she told him, tone wry.

"No, you can't, but you can see to it Darien gets the best future possible. We're close on an inhibitor for the toxin and if that doesn't work he'll have your removal technique to save him." Kevin meant every word. Darien liked being a spy even as he hated the side-effects of the gland. Kevin had reviewed as much of the Perseus video as he could; Darien had loved every minute of being able to turn invisible, of seeing how far he could push it, how skilled he could become. Truth be told if there hadn't been a side-effect and he'd been stuck with it he probably would have robbed any number of casinos and pawn shops and retired to a beach drinking and slapping the asses of every pretty young thing that wandered by.

He might not have been half the man he currently had become, but he most certainly would have been loving every minute of it. "He needs you, Alyx. You do the one thing few others in his life have done: you see  _him_."

"And who else should I see when I look at him, pray tell."

"You know what I mean," he said, not allowing her to hide behind one of those masks she liked to wear. "You two have this connection that I'll never really understand. And, you might think this is nuts, but I suspect you two have had it since you first met, and I don't mean in the padded room."

"Since we were kids? I doubt that, neither of us recognized each other when we were introduced as adults, it was sheer happenstance that we ended up meeting again," Alyx argued, but not with the vehemence she had on other subjects, part of her clearly considering that his words might actually be true.

"You may have faded from each other's memories, but I think there was never a chance you wouldn't have ended up together somehow, no matter how many other relationships you had in between," Kevin told her in all confidence, and it made her grin, blush and turn away to stare at the computer monitors.

"Damn it, Darien has used the same tactic on me. Amazing how it works, isn't it?"

He snickered. "With how careful you are with your emotions, yes." He shifted to sit next to her. "You'll have him back sooner than you think, and all this will just be an odd side-step in your lives."

"Odd indeed," she agreed. "Oy, this has got to be the craziest life on the planet."

Kevin laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Can't argue with that. Do you like it?"

She blinked at him, a momentary wash of confusion showing on her features. "Now,  _that_  is a loaded question."

Kevin tapped finger on the desk. "I suppose it is. I get the impression Darien does, even if he hates how it came about. If he knew about dad…"

"He won't know. Shit, that'd screw him up even worse than he already is." Alyx shook her head violently. "He does not need his world-view dumped on its side again. Not right now."

"Why not?" Kevin inquired with only a hint of indignation revealing how he felt about her making across the board decisions about his brother.

She frowned, brows knitting together as she pondered her response. "Because he's already convinced we – and by we I mean everyone at the Agency who isn't him – are hiding information from him. Which we are, for a variety of reasons, admittedly, up to and including protecting him, but none of that will matter. He'll cry betrayal, stalk off, and proceed to do something excessively stupid." She sighed heavily, meeting Kevin's eyes with ones filled with pain. "He's been hurt enough recently, and… and ignorance is indeed bliss. On this occasion I think the bliss should remain."

Kevin had to run through her quickly spoken words twice before understanding even began to emerge. "How has he been hurt?"

She rose from her chair, striding away, arms crossed protectively across her chest. At a guess, Darien hadn't been the only one hurt by whatever had happened. "Darien asked me to marry him," she stated in a barely audible whisper.

Okay, now that had to be one of the most incredible things he had ever heard. His footloose and fancy-free brother wanting to settle down? Not so long ago he would have said no way in hell, but now, after these past few weeks with Alyx and getting to know her, and more seeing his brother through her eyes… Yes, he could see that, see his brother wanting to grab on tight and hold on to her forever. "You said no, didn't you?" A question that was far more a statement of fact, he somehow knew.

She nodded. "Close enough. And he… he made it all or nothing and walked away."

Kevin whistled, her words surprising him. Why would Darien do that, and more to the point, how had they ended up back together? "You want to be with him, but not marry him?"

She shrugged as she turned about to face him, her look dour. "I'll be there for him, with him for as long as he wants me there. Marriage…" she shook her head, trying to put into words something that could barely be understood emotionally. "Maybe you are correct; that connection between us goes far beyond our first meeting at the Agency. Maybe… maybe he's always been there, in the back of my mind, making me never perfectly comfortable in any other relationship. Maybe this has always been meant to happen? Maybe nothing I do, any decision I make is my own and has simply been predestined from the moment of my conception." She threw up her hands in clear frustration and paced about the perimeter of the room, weaving easily in between the racks of gear.

He couldn't fault her logic, even as fanciful as it seemed to be. The way they had all be peripherally involved with the Agency and all ended up here, working for the Official… yes, predestination had to be considered… and rejected. Life was what you made of it and no more. Every choice opened a dozen others, every path chosen leading to an infinite number of others. There was no way every decision, every moment of someone's life could be predicted or directed, of that he remained certain.

He got up and went to her, set hands on her shoulders to stop her restless movement. "Alyx, you don't believe that any more than I do. Yes, all of us might have had a predisposition to end up working for the government in one form or another, but ending up at the Agency..." He shook his head. "That was sheer happenstance... even if it doesn't feel that way some days. But you and Darien... you need to do what is right for you, and for each other.

"And if I have no idea how to do that?"

He grinned, ignoring the dismay in her voice. "You'll fake it."

She rolled her eyes in response to that. "Kevin-"

"Alyx, you're human... mostly," He had hoped for a smile, but soldiered on when he didn't receive one, "and will stumble along in your relationships just like the rest of us. You care about him, more than yourself some days, I don't know what else you could possibly do."

"Ah, so many things, but not without making compromises," she told him.

"You shouldn't have to." He gently cupped her face with one hand, wanting to touch her. Pressure from Darien made him want to comfort her, but he only allowed the slightest contact, as personal as it felt. "You two have to work it out on your own."

"Really? Never would have guessed." She stepped away, leaving him standing there, hand still outstretched. "How about we get down to work?"

"Alyx-"

" _You_  are Kevin Fawkes, how about acting like him."

At those harshly spoken words he realized that acting on those impulses might not be the wisest thing to do. He turned away rubbing the back of his head, irritation springing to the fore. They needed to end this and soon. While there might be plenty of reasons to stay, there remained exactly one very good reason to leave: this was Darien's life, not his. "What can I say to that?"

She shrugged. "Sorry," she said, not really sounding as if she meant it.

He didn't take her words to heart. She had been handling the situation to the best of her ability; sometimes her tolerance just wore a bit thin. Right now, with him unable to control his emotional state, hers had maxed out. "I've chosen the viral vector, want to help with the DNA coding?"

She pasted a bland look on her face and nodded. "Sure. Which sample do you want to start with?"

 

~^~^~^~

 

Darien woke up in his bed.

Not unusual in the overall scheme in things, but lately, very much so. He'd  _woken up_  in any number of odd places as of late, but his bed hadn't been one of them. It was a nice change of pace, truth be told. Though he didn't imagine he'd be around all that long to revel in the pleasure. He stretched, enjoying the feel of the soft cotton sheets, then turned to the clock to check the time. Instead of the red digital numbers, he discovered a folded piece of paper with his name on it.

He debated ignoring it, not wanting to read about that next shoe just yet, but reached out and picked it up, figuring it was probably of great import, if only in the short term. The clock behind it revealed it to be a little after nine a.m., though he had no idea when Kevin might have crawled into bed. He felt pretty good, which was a nice change of pace, and after another look at the time, seeing that three minutes had already passed, cringed inwardly at the pain he knew to be coming. The only occasion he'd stayed any length of time had been when Alyx was around, and even then the record had been a measly five minutes. Better than nothing, admittedly, but not really fair given it was his body.

He tossed off the covers and rolled out of bed, the note still in hand. He stumbled to the kitchen, rubbing the back of his head, flipping open the folded piece of paper as he did so. He recognized Kevin's scrawl - it had always amazed him that though it was his body, Kevin's handwriting was still Kevin's - and read the little there.

_Darien, if you are reading this then it worked. Sadly, you will have woken up into a right mess with the Agency. Worse than when you went away, I'm afraid. Alyx and Hobbes will get you up to speed. Trust them and follow their lead. Sorry, I couldn't stay longer, but it was me or you, and I've had my time. This is yours._

_Kevin_

Darien froze. Kevin was gone?

He reread the note, but the words didn't change.

Darien wasn't quite certain how he felt about that. He missed his brother. Needed his brother to save him from the nether hell the gland had dragged him down into. Yeah, he'd gained a lot, but he'd lost a lot too. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. There was no turning back and there hadn't been for a long time now. He had hoped Kevin would figure this out before leaving, would give him that out he deserved, but... but based on the note he'd left  _that_ hadn't happened.

Well, if nothing else the Official was in for one hell of a surprise. A fleeting smile crossed his lips at that thought. Any chance to yank the Official's chain he'd take and thoroughly enjoy, and his showing up at work should do that handily.

His door slammed open, a whirlwind of fire and curls launched at him and he damn near fell to the floor as he found himself with an armful of hysterical woman. He backpedaled as fast as he could manage to keep his balance, They ended up in the kitchen, his back against the counter, her legs wrapped about his waist, arms tight about his neck, her face tucked tightly against his a high keening coming from her.

It took no intelligence at all to figure out who had burst into his apartment unannounced. The fact that she had sensed his return should have been obvious and just reinforced the possibility that Kevin had left for good. "Easy, baby, it's all right," he soothed, one hand running up and down her back, hoping the contact would help. Last time he'd seen her, she'd been a mess emotionally, his being gone screwing with her mind, even if they had spent more time getting hot and bothered than talking on that occasion. She been desperate to reconnect with him and done so in the most visceral way possible. Now... now he could not get a read on her, her emotions locked down tight, though even to him it was frickin' obvious she was... Actually, he had no clue. She seemed upset, but he hoped it was happiness, 'cause last he knew she missed him like the dickens. "I'm right here, you can let go."

She shuddered violently and he could feel hot tears soaking through his shirt. Shit, she was in overload. He slid down slowly and carefully until he was sitting on the floor with his back pressed into the cabinets. "Alyx, it's me. I'm not going anywhere."

She mumbled something against the side of his neck that he didn't understand a word of and it made him want to laugh simply because he was still here and she was here and that meant they were together. And that felt like the most important thing in the world right about now. Ever so gently he lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes. He felt his heart lurch painfully hard in his chest as he once again found himself falling into those silver pools, hoping to never hit bottom. "Damn, girl, I missed you."

She hiccupped, tears dampening her cheeks. "Kevin's gone," she told him, not looking too happy about that fact.

He cupped her chin with one hand. "You can't know that."

"Yes, I can."

He gave her a tiny smile. "Oh. Yeah. I guess you can." He wiped away the tears that had run down her cheeks. "It's okay, sweets."

"No, it's not. Not really." She tipped her head down for a long moment before screwing up the courage to meet his eyes. "You're back."

He nodded. "Looks that way. That's a good thing, right?"

"Oh hell yes." She leaned forward, head coming to rest on his shoulder. "I'm... I'm good and screwed up."

He suspected that given she was still keeping him out. "We in a hurry?"

"No. Not today. Not if you don't want to be."

"Then let me in. Please? I... I need to know you're okay."

"But I'm not okay," she informed him, voice rising as she pulled back, trying to stand, but he held on, keeping her in place for the moment.

"How long since you last saw me?" he asked, hoping it hadn't been more than a few days, but suspected it had been quite a bit longer.

"Ten days. And they've been rough ones."

Kevin had mentioned in one of his notes that Darien's surprise appearances had been messing with her head, the fleeting contact causing a decided lack of sleep and her mental state to be less stable than usual. She relied on Darien to keep her balanced and with him gone for... he did some quick mental math... nearly two months, it was little wonder she had reached a state of near meltdown. "Then let me help you," he pleaded, recognizing that while she wanted to handle her problems on her own, at this moment in time she was unable to. Persuading her to permit him to help, might take some doing, however. She was probably concerned that she'd mess him up if she let him in too suddenly. "I can handle it."

She shook her head. "I can't."

Damn, she was freaked out. He should have expected that he supposed, but since he had no idea he'd be waking up and staying for more than a few minutes, allowances could be made. As she had decided to be stubborn he would have to use the one weapon in his arsenal that pretty much guaranteed she'd fold and allow him in: Cupping her face in his hands he kissed her, making certain to focus and broadcast his emotions, his needs to her, though most of all he needed her to let him in. She would not be able to function until she shared and the easiest way to get her to do that was with sex. Unfair perhaps, but true.

She resisted at first, trying to pull away, but he curled his fingers in her hair and held her in place as he ran his tongue across her lips to request permission to enter. She whimpered, sounding lost and mournful, but still resisted. Maybe she had some concerns he would morph back into his brother at any moment, her previous commentary that he was gone notwithstanding. He shifted one hand back, his fingers finding that insanely sensitive spot at the back of her neck and proceeded to apply pressure and make small circles. No way Kevin had figured this out. Though if he found out his brother had been making time with his girl, without his express permission he would... do nothing, truth to tell. Hell, he'd probably forgive both of them given the weird ass circumstances.

And what the hell was he thinking?

He hadn't been with Alyx in weeks, aside from a five minute interlude and here he was thinking about his brother. Clearly, his mind was just as screwed up as hers.

She pulled away with a snicker. "I have not been macking on your brother while you were gone," she informed him tartly.

He leaned forward and whispered, "Then let me in."

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Then the wave broke across him and if he hadn't already been sitting on the floor, he would have fallen to the ground in shock at the overwhelming emotions that flooded his mind. Messed up? No, she had gone far beyond messed up and near as he could tell with his mind nearly completely overwhelmed there were at least four other versions of her fighting for dominance. That she had been even the least bit coherent could only be described as astonishing.

He did the only thing he could to help and pictured her as only he saw her, giving her a ledge, no matter how thin and crumbling, to stand upon.

She shivered, violently from head to toe, then opened her eyes, staring at him in total surprise. "D... D... Darien?" She sounded like she was questioning her own sanity.

He smiled. "Yep, which we have already established. Least I thought so." Her mind still swirled with an excess of emotions, but the other hers had been forced into the background. They were still there, but  _Alyx_  had returned to the forefront. His girl battling her way to the top of the personality food chain, and, hopefully, staying there now that he was back for good.

He set his forehead against hers. "How long has it been this bad?"

She sighed heavily. "Too long," she admitted. "Bobby helped as much as he could but..."

"But he's not me. What about Kev? Wasn't he willing to help?" He had asked his brother to help in one of the many videos he'd left him so he couldn't imagine Kevin just blowing her off, not if he wanted her to be of any help to the research.

"He was a little too willing. And  _that_  was a problem."

"Huh?"

"Kevin might have been in control of the body, but every time I was around he reacted as if he were you."

"Ah. I imagine that got a bit awkward," Darien said after he thought about that for a moment. Then for a few more; a frown causing his lips to turn downward. "How awkward?"

She laughed softly, the sound echoing through his mind, feeling like wind chimes on a summer breeze. "Nothing I couldn't handle, I promise, but it was better for me to keep a safe distance. Some of my... alters saw an advantage to having both of you wrapped around my finger."

"Wrapped around your finger? Since when have I been-"

She cut off his words by leaning in and biting him on the side of the neck, causing him to suck in a sudden breath and bury his hands in her hair to hold her in place.

She laughed. "Point made, I believe."

"Uh, I want to say that doesn't count, but I think you'll win any argument I might make." And she would too. Though not quite willing to admit it, she did have him wrapped about her finger, but she never abused the privilege, except when appropriate. "You did that to Kev?"

"No." She shook her head. "Didn't need to." She grinned, but to ease his obvious dismay leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. "It wasn't Kevin, not really. Your emotions, not his." She set her palm against his cheek. "You tried so hard to come back on your own, your memories invaded his dreams, your personality coloring his; you were there, every day, just below the surface."

"Too close?" he guessed. She would have felt Kevin  _and_  Darien, which would seriously fuck with her already screwed with mind.

"And not close enough." She nodded. "It's been a weird couple of weeks... and it's just going to get weirder."

He closed his eyes for a second, wishing for just once that they could have a moments peace. Opening them he asked, "Did we ever figure out why Kevin was brought back?"

She shook her head. "Smokescreen most likely. Useful once here, but nothing but a distraction."

"That makes no sense," Darien muttered. "What's been going on?"

"Oh, many, many things," she told him. "In fact, I was on my way to meet Bobby when you made your grand return. Want to tag along?"

"Was thinking of heading into the office and surprise the boss."

"Oh no, the last place you - meaning Darien Fawkes - should be is the Agency."

"And why is that?" Not that he really  _wanted_  to go into work, but the look on the 'Fish's face would have been priceless. "Aside from the whole expecting Kevin thing, that is."

"The game's afoot. Trouble is I haven't quite figured out what the game is, so we've been muddling along the best we can."

"Arnaud?" His one real hope of resolving the gland problems swiftly.

"Gone and his data with him," she told him.

"Of fucking course," he snarled softly. Hating the man with a passion. "Agency looking for him?"

"Officially? Yes. In reality? No. Boss has much bigger fish to fry."

He snorted at the ironic turn of phrase. "Not gonna fill me in until Bobby's nearby, are ya?"

"Nope. I definitely want back up for this one." She gave him a quick kiss and got to her feet. Holding her hand out to assist, even though he really didn't need it. Still, he liked the excuse to hold her hand. "I'll text Bobby the change in plans while you grab your shower."

"A plan. Won't the Keep be expecting Kev?"

Alyx shrugged. "He's been keeping his own hours, so yes and no."

Darien glanced about the tiny apartment, noting the desk lacked the laptop that usually resided there as of late. "Where's Kev's computer?"

Alyx allowed her gaze to rove over the room. "I have no idea," she told in in all honesty. "Maybe he left it with Claire?" she suggested though by the sound of it she didn't believe that herself.

"I doubt that." Darien paced out into the apartment, still looking at the empty desk. "He knew he would be leaving," he concluded, sounding sad. He missed his brother and had liked having him here, even if they had no way of being in the same place at the same time even while in the same place at the same time. He had been hoping for a final video, a real goodbye this time, but obviously that had been too much for his dear brother to consider doing. "I imagine the computer will turn up if he wants it to."

"True enough." She moved to stand beside him, brushing up against him in a gesture of comfort. "I'm sure he had his reasons for not leaving it here. If I locate it I will let you know, promise."

"Thanks," he said, not really believing he would ever see the computer again. "Can... can Kev ever come back?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, D, but no. Even if we had another mRNA sample, the method we used to remove his DNA will prevent him from ever being implanted again." She took his hand into hers, twining their fingers together. "He wanted to be certain you will never be used like this again."

"That's good to know." He ducked his head, still wishing he could talk to Kevin one last time. Say a proper goodbye, but he had that taken away from him again. Would have been nice to be given some warning, but given the circumstances, he kinda understood why it hadn't been possible. Hell, he'd known for a couple weeks that Kevin had been trying to banish himself, only the when it would work had been in question, there had never been any doubt that eventually Kevin would be gone. "I'm gonna grab a shower." He faked up a grin for her. "Wanna join me?"

She smiled back. "Yes, but then my breakfast meeting will be a late lunch, if not dinner and, sadly, it is important, especially now that you are back."

"Rain check?" he suggested, pretty damn certain of her answer.

She went up on her toes and bit him gently on the chin, making him want to forget the shower and simply scoop her up and toss her onto his bed. "Most definitely," she said when she released him. "Now scoot."

Darien sighed. "One cold shower here I come."

Alyx laughed and that made everything all right.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

Breakfast had been a reunion for Darien and Bobby, of a sort. Darien had only been gone for three weeks or so, but since he'd been playing timeshare prior to that it seemed far longer. It would take a couple days to get back into their full groove, but they would get there. While they ate the two of them gave him an overview of what they - meaning she for the most part given Bobby had been hamstrung by the Official and his duty to keep an eye on Kevin - had figured out and the little they actually knew.

There was a lot and yet not enough. And Darien still had trouble believing that Arnaud, who seemed to have set this entire thing in motion, was in reality nothing more than a red herring. That Chrysalis would not be coming after him... them in the near future for compromising one of their clinics. Though Darien was pretty certain he didn't really want to know what had been going on there, as it could in no way be good.

And that seemed like as good a place to start as any. "We're certain Arnie and Chrysalis have nothing to do with any of this?"

Alyx and Bobby looked at each other for a second before Alyx responded. "As far as we can tell, no. Once we compromised that location they moved out lock, stock and embryo."

"Kid's been keeping an eye on the sitch and feeding the data to me on the sly." Hobbes shifted and took a sip from his cooling coffee. "Near as we can tell, Chrysalis isn't even looking for Arnaud, which means they got what they wanted from him."

Darien sighed. "That's not a good thing, you know that, right?"

"D, we know, but we are reasonably certain they have nothing to do with the pressure being put on the Agency. That began before Claire got grabbed." Alyx did her best to reassure him, but it fell flat.

Darien's mind spun, something in what she said clicking in just the right way, to generate a whole slew of crazy-ass ideas that just made sense. What if... what if the Official wanted Claire out of the way and he couldn't just send her on sabbatical? What if he arranged for her to be captured so that she would be nowhere nearby when Kevin came to visit. What if Chrysalis and Arnaud being involved was all a maneuver by the Official to distance the current expert on the gland from whomever was applying said pressure. "Oh, crap," he muttered. "No wonder he didn't want us to rescue her. He needed her out of the way."

"Fawkes?"

"Follow my logic here, okay?"

They both nodded, as if understanding he'd had one of those eureka moments. "When did this Royce start making his moves on the Agency? Before or after Claire was kidnapped?"

Alyx cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowing as she dug through her mind for the answer. That she didn't specifically know meant that neither of them had made the connection. "Timing's close, but about the same time."

"Which could mean the Official had some warning about what was coming," Darien pointed out, knowing the man had his fingers and toes in a lot of pies and was owed favors by plenty. Being forewarned something was in the wind and blowing towards the Agency was nothing in the grand scheme of things. The moves that the Official made once in the know... that was something else entirely.

"Wait? Are you saying that the Official arranged for Claire to be kidnapped by Arnaud?" Hobbes sounded aghast, not wanting to believe that the boss would sacrifice one of their own for any reason.

Darien could argue that the 'Fish would do anything to protect his position and his Agency... and had. Hell, Alyx had assisted in one of those schemes just a few short months after coming to work for the Agency.

"Son of a bitch," Alyx growled. "Why didn't I see that?"

Darien gave her a hint of a grin. "I think you were a little too focused on other things at the time."

Hobbes snorted. "He's got a point, kid." Then he frowned, not liking this new twist to the story. "We was so focused on saving Claire that we didn't even bother to look into the whys and hows of her being grabbed. No way she would have given them any real info anyway and no way Arnie would have killed her with her being the only other expert on the gland."

"That ain't true, Hobbes. Alyx, here, knows just as much," Darien reminded his partner.

"Except, Alyx was already out of town and not scheduled to be back for a couple weeks," Alyx reminded them, eyes hard. "Oh, he planned this very carefully and I walked back in and fucked the whole thing up."

"Kid, no way you could have known. The Boss sure as hell didn't give any of us a clue as to what he was doing." Hobbes shook his head. "He could have trusted us."

"He was protecting us," Darien stated, understanding even though he didn't like it. "The only way he knew how."

"Yeah, 'cause pushing us away always works out so well," Hobbes snarked.

"When you are backed into a corner..." Alyx offered, obviously not defending the Official's actions, but understanding them. She'd been backed into her own set of corners a time or two herself.

"So, we have some of the whys answered. Who gained from all of this?" Darien had an idea, but wanted to talk it through, figuring that if they didn't come to the same conclusion that he might very well be off on the wrong track.

"Not sure anyone did, 'cept maybe you," Hobbes answered. "The new toxin inhibitor is probably the best thing to come out of this."

Darien shook his head. "Wrong focus. Look at the players and the game being played."

Alyx's look turned inward as she surely ran over all of the events of the last few weeks. Claire and her off the playing board. Jennings and Kevin brought in. This Royce pushing the Official's buttons. Hobbes tapped the table top with one finger, while Alyx's mind worked on the problem.

"Perdue is our ghost," she finally stated.

Darien nodded, he'd come to the same conclusion.

Hobbes twitched, shooting Alyx a look that Darien failed to understand. "Damn. That makes sense. I did some research. No one has managed to score a pic of this guy... He's that good."

"So, do we go after the ghost or Royce?" Darien questioned, watching his two partners carefully. They knew something, something they had not, and apparently did not intend, to share with the class, meaning him.

"Perdue was burned by Royce, but hasn't done  _anything_  as far as we can tell," Hobbes answered. "Royce has been the one pushing buttons, not the kid's ghost."

"Okay, so we look deeper into Royce. What does he want from the Agency?" This had not been a topic covered in the review of the events he had missed while he'd been playing sleeping beauty.

Hobbes glanced over at Alyx again, which didn't ease Darien's concerns any, before saying, "Well, he wants you."

"Me? Thought you said this Perdue was an assassin?"

"Yep. A damn good one, too." Alyx leaned back in the seat, watching him carefully.

"So why me? I am so not a killer." Darien may have racked up a body count since becoming involved with the Agency, but most had been due to the exigencies of the situations he'd found himself in. The only one he recalled intentionally killing had been that goon of Arnaud's at Perseus. The one who had killed Kevin. Considering the goon would have probably killed him as well, his response had been justified.

"Now that is a good question, my friend. While we can't confirm anything, we figure he knows about your talent. While not the same as a sniper, you are capable of getting very close to your targets to complete the job."

Darien shook his head. "That doesn't feel right. For something like that Alyx would be the better choice." He turned to her. "Sorry, babe, but it's true."

She shrugged. "I know. If all he were after was a new hitter."

"You think he's after something else?" Darien knew the only real thing he had to offer was the gland, which, while limited, still allowed him some serious advantages when it came to assassination. "He won't have use for a thief. A real spook will have skills just as useful as a cat-burglar."

"We need to piece this together logically," Hobbes said, rubbing the top of his head. "Starting with the whatever happened first."

Darien knew the answer to that. "Easy, Royce ordered Perdue to do something and he refused, causing Royce to burn him." Alyx had a notebook and pen out in a flash, writing down their thoughts, so that they could, hopefully, keep them organized.

"Second: Royce starts a manhunt for Perdue, which goes nowhere fast," Alyx continued.

"Third: Royce goes to the Official for a replacement hitter," Darien finished, but the logic of the third step felt off somehow.

Both Alyx and Bobby shook their heads, but he spoke first. "That's how it looks, but we both think something happened between steps two and three."

"But what?" Darien asked, mostly rhetorically. "Royce had to have poked before the Official planted the bait to get Claire out of the way. Why?"

"To get Jennings in," Hobbes growled. "Kid, you didn't like him from the start and not just because he replaced Claire. Something about him set off your hinky alarm."

Darien laughed, needing to lighten the mood somehow for it was getting far too serious for his taste. "Claire said she'd been keeping him up to date on the QS9300 project, for just this reason."

"True," Alyx agreed, "but she did not have him working on the gland hosting or the suppressor. So he had to have been doing that under the Official's direct orders." She paused to knuckle one eye. "What if... what if Royce did some digging and found out about the gland's ability to host a secondary personality."

Hobbes sucked in a breath. "Oh, kid, this is bad."

Darien felt the blood drain from his face. "Does Royce have that kind of clearance?"

Alyx nodded, lips pressed into a thin line of unhappiness. "Yes, actually, and if, as we suspect, he wanted you for the hosting ability and not the invisibility, then he might have pushed for a test; thus hosting Kevin first. Or… or the Official did. Insisting on a test run of the suppressor."

"And if you or Claire were around you would fight tooth and nail against it, which is why he got both of you out of the way," Darien said with an irritated sigh. He was fucking tired of being used. "You think this Royce wanted me to host his runaway hitter, Perdue."

"Makes the most sense. And if the suppressor worked to spec, then he'd have his expert hitter in a much younger body, ready to work for another couple of decades." Hobbes looked ready to spit nails. "Good damn thing the suppressor crapped out, huh?"

"Very," Alyx agreed, the one word sounding so very angry and bitter. Thankfully, she was keeping her emotions locked down or he might be ready to take up arms and rush off to get some serious vengeance; she looked that furious.

"Is Jennings in cahoots with Royce?" Hobbes asked.

"Uh, not a clue, but I will find out." She shifted back, looking exhausted.

"We need to stop Royce. So long as he thinks I'll be useful to him, he'll keep pushing the Official. Even to the point of trying the hosting thing again with a different suppressor." He turned to Alyx. "We have no guarantee another one won't work, right?"

"Right." She turned to Bobby. "You don't want to hear this."

He nodded and proceeded to stick his fingers in his ears. Even with that she spoke telepathically.  _*The method used to remove Kevin, may keep you from hosting ever again, but it's not one hundred percent guaranteed.*  
_  
Darien nodded, understanding, but wanting more details though now was not the time to ask. He waved at Hobbes to let him know it was safe to listen in again. "So, I confront Royce and get him to admit who the hit is on. If it is off book like you guys think, we arrest him."

Hobbes violently shook his head. "No, Fawkes, we ain't letting you anywhere near this mook. Once he has you he ain't likely to let you go, especially if Jennings is in his pocket."

Darien didn't like that. "Then what?"

"I go in," Alyx said. When Darien readied to argue that plan she added, "With Bobby, of course."

"You think I'd let the kid do this alone? The only reason I haven't been in on her current foray was 'cause I had to keep an eye on your bro."

"I've been looping him in daily so don't get your knickers in a twist. 'Sides, he needed to be able to look the 'Fish in the eye and be able to say he knew nothing about all the trouble I was making." She turned to Bobby. "Though I'm betting he never asked."

"Not once," Hobbes confirmed. "Probably knew you'd do the dirty work and get Royce off his back as soon as you figured out what was really going on."

"Officialed again," Darien groused. "When will we stop letting him use us like this?"

"When we can walk away with no blackmail of his hanging over our heads."

Alyx had the right of it, as usual, and as of right now the Official still held most of the cards. "So what is our next move?"

"You two, nothing today." When Alyx straightened, preparing an argument, Hobbes cut her off with a scathing look. "You need to sleep and get your head screwed on right. Fawkesy here will make sure that happens."

"But the connection between Jennings and Royce," Alyx argued.

"You have a computer or two that can work on it, while you relax," Hobbes told her in no uncertain terms. "Splurge on a hotel, neither of you should go home tonight. Fawkes, I'll call you in morning. Only then will you go in to see the boss and let him know the Doc is gone."

Darien looked over at Alyx who shrugged, not about to complain about being told to spend a day together. Not that he would either, but still, this was not Hobbes' usual attitude concerning their relationship. "You sure about this, Hobbes?"

"Quite. I'll look for Kevin a while longer then report him AWOL. Won't be the first time in the last couple of weeks. He's slipped his watchers more than a few times." Hobbes drank down the last of his cold coffee, eyeing both of them.

"All right. We'll stay off the radar for the day and Alyx will get the rest she needs. Tomorrow we go after Royce, agreed?"

"Hell yes. I want things back to normal. This is bullshit working conditions."

Alyx laughed. "As soon as I can manage it, Bobby."

"As soon as  _we_  can manage it," Darien corrected, meaning every word.

 


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

  
Alyx chose  _the_  swankiest hotel in town, the W, and she didn't bat an eye at the cost. The snooty shit behind the counter with the sneering tone had the gall to suggest they might be more comfortable at the Super 8 off the highway. Alyx didn't even blink in response and pulled out a credit card that made the man blanch, begin apologizing immediately, and upgrade their room at no cost. He even comped their dinner to try to make nice. Alyx made no comment whatsoever, just kept the same bored gaze while he swiped her card and made up a pair of keys for them. He waved over a bellhop for their nonexistent bags. She had her laptop in a messenger bag and that was it. They didn't even have a change of clothes.

She waved the help off, eyed the suit in such away that he turned even paler and then turned away without comment. Darien watched as the guy swallowed hard, sweat beading his brow, clearly concerned that she would report his less than complimentary attitude to his supervisor. A few words and he would be working in the laundry room for half his current pay. If she felt it worth the bother.

 

She didn't.

She continued the unexpected silence as they rode up in the elevator, strode down the plushly carpeted hall and to the double doors at the end. He swiped the key card and swung them open as dramatically as he could manage. He ruined the effect completely when he froze just two steps inside. He hadn't known what to expect, but the overdone modern extravagance exceeded even his wildest expectations. "What the hell did he do?"

"Gave us the best room in the place, that's what. Little ass-kisser," she sneered, clearly unimpressed. She headed for the desk, her laptop out of the bag before halfway there.

With a sigh, Darien closed the doors and trailed after her, shedding his jacket and tossing it over the back of a chair that probably cost more than everything he owned in his apartment.

"Do you ever do anything small?"

She tossed a grin over her shoulder. "Bobby said to splurge on a hotel."

"Splurge? One night at this place costs as much as my rent." Which it did, mostly because he lived in a place smaller than this suite. Hell, smaller than this living room. He began to wander through only to stop dead at the bedroom, one gigantic bed dominating the room and giving him ideas that involved a decided lack of clothing for both of them and finishing what they had started on his kitchen floor this morning.

"More," she said from the other room. "I just want to get this search started, then we can figure out what we are going to do next. Shopping? We could both use a change of clothes for tomorrow. Hotel will provide the rest."

"Uh..." He stepped into the bathroom only to find it bigger than hers, and she had a huge one in her apartment. And much as she had said, everything they could need lined the counter, including a selection of high-end hair products. "Holy shit, can we live here?"

He heard her laugh and a moment later she was by his side. "For today. There's a spa downstairs, we could get a couples massage. Probably comped given the fear of god I put into the front desk dick."

"Rather have sex on every viable surface for the rest of the day, but, yeah, we'll probably want clean clothes after." He tried to make certain she got that he meant every word, and it must have worked because color flushed her cheeks and she blinked drowsily up at him.

"Uh," she cleared her throat. "Damn it. Shopping then you can do to me whatever you want wherever you want."

He stepped closer, one hand coming up to stroke lightly along her cheek. "Maybe. If you promise to open the link between us."

She shuddered. "I... I'll try."

He leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Good enough." He pulled away. "So, shopping?"

"Yes. Then all the rest of the day to ourselves." She leaned forward to rest her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms about her. "I missed you, lots."

He settled his chin on the top of her head. "Missed you too. Now, unless you want skip the shopping and instead test drive this very expensive-looking counter we should probably get going."

Alyx snorted and stepped back to look up at him. "Ninety minutes, tops. Promise."

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Ninety minutes minimum, when we get back here."

She shivered then stepped away, those lusciously curvy hips swaying before his eyes. "Well, come on then, the sooner we leave the sooner we get back."

He trailed after her, then rushed past once they were out in the main room. The shopping might be necessary, if frivolous, but this time they would be spending together would not be. They both needed a day to settle and regroup. Starting tomorrow they would be back on the clock and trying to save their asses.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

_Martin Luther King Jr. was indisputably a great, strong, courageous man, who along with having a dream told us, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."_

_Of course, he was assassinated for acting on those very words._

_I could only hope I wouldn't suffer the same ignominious fate._

 

The Official looked furious.

Hobbes had towed Darien into work in his newish outfit sans Alyx. His girl was smarter than even he had realized for, instead of dragging him to one of the high end clothing stores that populated the area near W, she had led him to an underground swap meet he had never knew existed and turned him loose on booth after booth of second hand clothes. They'd spent over a hundred dollars and scored everything they needed with the exception of underthings, which she  _had_  acquired at one of those far more expensive stores. Though given the selection of silky and sexy bits and pieces she'd purchased for the sole purpose of him being able to take off, the side trip had been more than worthwhile.

Hobbes had played contrite; citing the numerous times Kevin had skipped out on work before and how was he to know anything had happened. Darien had simply told him he'd woken up, just like old times, no notes, no nothing to tell him what had gone on. In fact, so he claimed, he'd been just about to call Bobby when his partner had shown up at his door looking for Kevin.

The Official wanted to know what the hell had happened, but since none of them had answers to those questions, they told him so in no uncertain terms, which only made his ire rise another notch.

"Where is Miss Silver?" he finally bellowed, as if she might actually hear him. Possible given her enhanced senses, but not likely. She had planned on working on that Jennings/Royce angle. Her computer had spat out some information that she had deigned to share with him citing plausible deniability for him. Yeah, there were times his poker face failed utterly and he had to agree on this subject, for this meeting the less he knew the better for all concerned.

Bobby and Darien looked at each other with twin shrugs.

"Not a clue, boss. Haven't heard from her in days," Bobby stated, the lie coming out smooth and easy.

Darien added, "Haven't seen her in... What day is it?" he asked of Eberts who stood ramrod straight and seemingly frozen in fear in his usual corner of the office.

"Uh, it's..." he stuttered out only to be cut off by a snarl from the Official.

"Shut up, Eberts." He tossed his glasses onto the scarred surface of the desk and rubbed his eyes. "Do either of you have any idea of the position you have put me in?"

"Should we?" Hobbes asked in all innocence. "Should we be aware of some USSA mook putting pressure on you for the services of one invisible man... and not for his less than visible talent?"

The Official's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No, that is something none of you should know about."

Darien shrugged. "Then I guess we don't know shit. But an agent on sick leave just might."

"Then I would suggest said agent remain on leave until this situation is resolved." He smiled dangerously. "Am I understood?"

Darien and Bobby glanced at each other. "Yeah, chief, we understand."

"Good. Fawkes, you are to report to the Keeper and Jennings for a full evaluation."

Darien sighed. He'd known that would be coming, but had really hoped the Official might want to bring in some money and have him, you know, work. "Do I haveta?" he groused, certain it would take all day at best and far more likely two or three as the two doctors tried to figure out why Kevin had abandoned ship, which Alyx did  _not_ want them to learn. She wanted them to assume and come to the conclusion that the suppressor had failed. That would force Jennings, or his replacement, since she planned to make certain he had no involvement in the QS project ever again, to start over.

"Yes, Fawkes, you have to," the Official insisted, but without the expected annoyance. A couple days of tests would keep Darien off the radar and unable to be used for anything else. With Royce breathing down their necks, this was a good thing in some ways and bought Alyx a couple more days to deal with the theorized rogue handler.

"Okay," Darien said in apparent surrender. He had to play the part. Had to pretend he didn't know what was going on, both with Kevin being gone and with Royce. That meant... damn, he was going to have to lie to the Keep. Not that he knew much of anything, just that Kevin had worked out a way to remove his DNA/RNA from Darien's body in such a way that he could never be brought back.

Alyx had told him no details for just this reason.

He and Hobbes chatted about nothing of importance on the way down to Lab 101, his partner had warned that the whole placed might be bugged, which, while nothing new, was a valid reminder. On a good day there was little privacy to be had at the Agency, today, when the bugs might have been planted by outsiders, there was even less. They kept up the banter even as the Keep door slid open and they strode in.

Claire sat at her usual computer station, but turned about to look at them, irritation coloring her features. She looked tired and haggard, as if she'd been going non-stop for days, which she might have been for all Darien knew. Aside from that one incident, when he'd made a surprise appearance right here in the lab, he hadn't seen her in weeks. Not since dinner at his place the day of the headache. His last day as himself prior to Kevin taking over.

Claire didn't spend even a second on the niceties. "Where the bloody hell have you been? If you needed a day off I would have understood, but you could have at least told me, especially when we're so close." She got to her feet, grabbed a folder stuffed to the brim with papers and slapped them against Darien's chest, forcing him to take possession or risk them spilling across the floor.

"Now, I need you to review those results so that we can make the necessary adjustments quickly. There's no way to be certain when the suppressor will fail completely."

Well, it was good to know, he supposed, that Claire expected the suppressor to fail at some point in time, which most likely meant Jennings had remained clueless as to Kevin's maneuvers. Darien flipped through the papers, not understanding any of it then said, "Uh, last night apparently."

Claire went breathlessly still for several exceedingly long minutes. Finally she shot a glare in his direction and grumbled. "Not funny, Kevin. We need to get back to work."

Darien turned to his partner for assistance.

"Keepy, he ain't kidding. That there is Darien Fawkes and not the Doc." Hobbes made a valiant attempt to sound contrite, but it pretty much fell flat. He was damn happy to have his partner back, no matter how useful Kevin had been.

Darien gave her a tiny wave with his free hand while she simply stared at him in what appeared to be total disbelief. "Darien? But... Oh bollocks." She tore the file out of his hand and set it on the nearest flat surface, it's importance forgotten. "Are you all right?" she questioned, changing tracks quickly and easily.

Darien blinked. "As far as I can tell, yes. Why?"

She huffed, hands on hips. "Why do you think? Your body has been under a tremendous amount of stress. There is no telling what if any damage may have occurred."

"Keep, you're not giving me a whole lot of confidence here," Darien grumbled. He'd been assured by Alyx that there should be few if any issues now that Kevin had evicted himself, but she had also warned that he, meaning Darien, was not back to  _normal_  by any stretch of the imagination, and probably would not be for some time. Given all the unknowns involved he had decided to not worry overmuch unless something really startling happened. He ducked his head. "Tests, huh?"

"Lots of them I am afraid, so you might as well make yourself comfortable," she informed him, waving towards the far side of the lab where the hated, evil chair lived.

"You want I should go find Jennings?" It may have been a question, but Hobbes' feelings for the replacement Keeper was evident in his tone.

"Why would I want you to do that?" Claire questioned in almost as sneering a tone of voice.

Darien snorted in derision even as he shed his coat and hopped up onto the chair. "Well, I really don't want to go through the poking and prodding twice, thank you very much." That was putting it mildly. He hated all these tests and crap even while he understood the need of them. He might half understand what had  _really_  happened to Kevin, but Claire and Jennings knew nothing and both of them would perforce need to investigate every possible avenue to determine the cause. One that, hopefully, neither would actually find. One day he would need to ask Alyx the details of how this had come about, but not today. Maybe not next month, hell, maybe not next year, but one day he would ask and she would tell him. That was all he needed to know at this moment in time.

"I don't give a rat's ass about Jennings," Claire snapped, even as she pulled on a pair of latex gloves in preparation of the blood draw he knew to be coming. "But you have a point. I will, with Hobbes as my witness, take additional samples, which I will set aside for him."

Hobbes shook his head. "Like he'll believe me." He glanced at his partner who gave him a tight nod. "We think a deeper game is going on and that Jennings is neck deep in it."

Claire froze, the needle about to pierce the tender flesh of his inner elbow stopping short and then moving away as she turned to face Bobby directly. "I've already explained that I have been the one keeping him apprised of the project, and why."

"Yeah, you have, but you also said you had not instructed him to look into the hosting potential of the gland or a way to make said hosting permanent." Darien earned twin looks of confusion, but he was pretty certain he'd both spoken in English and made complete sense.

"True," she agreed. "However, it is entirely possible that the Official did so. If we could create a version of the gland suited for that alone it could be of great use to the government."

Hobbes groaned, the dislike of that idea obvious. "Yeah, it could. But at what cost? Some poor schmuck having his life replaced with another's? That ain't right." Hobbes might be all gung ho for following the rules and doing the job for God and Country, but, thankfully, there were some lines even he could not justify crossing.

Claire sighed softly and returned to inserting the needle into Darien's vein. "I didn't say it was  _right_  or that I would condone such a thing. That does not make the potential any less useful."

She filled six vials of various sizes with blood. None of them willing to continue the argument, no matter how polite, while a sharp needle remained shoved inside Darien's arm. Once done, however, he tossed his two cents into the fray. "I can't deny there would be use, but the risks... the possibility of it being abused is just too high." Case in point if they were the least bit correct about this Royce and his real plans for the Agency's Invisible Man.

Claire went breathlessly still, he voice lowering to just above a whisper. "You think that's what this about?" she questioned, all the brains under that blonde showing.

Hobbes shrugged. "Why else look for a way to make the implanted persona permanent? Stick this new..."

"Theoretical," Darien inserted into his partner's statement smoothly.

"…gland into some less than useful member of society's head, flip the mRNA switch and, viola, you have new body for a top agent about to retire."

Darien hated that Hobbes had gone there, and worse that it made perfect sense. Give a convict the opportunity of a get out jail free card, with a few strings that most wouldn't bat an eye at - look at his own situation - and the government would have a ready supply of warm bodies to keep their ranks filled out. Fuck. He wondered if Alyx had thought it through this far. He would bring it up when they ran into each other later; there was no way she would allow this kind a research to go forward.

Claire set the last marked vial down in the rack and then moved it to the nearest cooler, setting it right next to several containers of yogurt. Once upon a time that would have freaked Darien out, now it was just the same old same old. This was  _them_  and the way it should be.

"You think the Official had a specific purpose in mind?" Claire asked as she stripped off the gloves and tossed them towards the trashcan.

Hobbes glanced over at Darien, who shrugged and decided to answer as circumspectly as possible. "Yes. To prevent someone else from choosing who would be in control of my body."

"Keep, don't forget that Jennings had to trick Kevin into taking that shot of suppressor," Hobbes reminded, causing her eyes to widen slightly. "If that had been the Official's agenda he would have ordered you to do it. Or just told Kevin to sit down and take his shot like a good boy. No, he was just as surprised by the Doc's permanent status as us, no matter how callous he seemed."

Darien had to take his partner's word on that as he had most certainly been out of the picture. "Then why did Alyx leave?"

" 'Cause, at the time she, much like the rest of us, assumed the Official had ordered it," Hobbes answered.

"Are you saying the Official didn't?" Claire questioned, looking from one man to another, practically demanding a truthful response from her gaze alone.

"We're saying evidence revealed later appears to suggest otherwise," Darien answered, wishing they could just tell Claire everything and knowing they dare not. She would still need to be able to look the boss in the eye and not lie.

Hobbes' cell phone went off then and he stepped into the other half of the lab to answer while Claire gathered various instruments of torture, even rolling over the EKG machine with all the little tiny wire attachments, making him sigh in frustration. "We gonna have to take a trip to Leavitt?"

Claire visibly considered for a moment. "Possibly. Let's see how these tests go first."

Darien nodded, figuring that would be her answer. She reached out and moved his hair aside as she set the first of dozens of electrodes against the skin of his temple. When she touched him memory intruded on reality. Claire, close, the taste of her on his lips, the heat of her hands on his chest, the feel of her skin against his. He felt his skin flush at the remembered pleasure... pleasure that he had never experienced... not with the Keeper anyway.

Bobby broke the vision, shattering him out of it, much to his relief. "Boss wants me upstairs ASAP. You two good?"

"Of course, Bobby," Claire responded, completely unaware of what Darien had just experienced as she continued to set the sticky electrodes in place on his skull.

"Fawkes?"

Darien cleared his throat, hoping to god his partner hadn't noticed his unexpected and uncontrolled reaction to the images that had flooded his mind. "I'm good," he answered his voice surprisingly rough. Damn. He'd know the Keep and Kev had had a thing a while back, but no clue they'd gone and picked up right where they'd left off. Oh, now that was just great. Nice of Kevin to conveniently forget that the body he'd been running around in belonged to his brother, who might not want to complicate his relationship with his Keeper with sex.

One eyebrow rose on Hobbes' forehead, clearly not believing his partner's words.

"Hobbes, go, before he comes down here after you," Darien mock-ordered, earning an eye-roll for his trouble.

"I'll check in later, okay?"

"Of course, Bobby. We should not be doing anything overtly invasive today," Claire assured both of them, though Darien presumed it was more for his benefit than his partner's.

Darien twitched. "Today? And what qualifies as overtly invasive to you?"

Hobbes chuckled. "I'll see you later, partner."

Darien gave his savior a wave as he turned and left the lab, the door wheezing open and shut a moment later, leaving him and Claire alone. She had finished with the wires, completely ruining all his efforts to get his hair just right this morning, and stepped away to get the machine that would be revealing all his mind was up to right now.

"So, did you and Kev do it on this chair?" Darien asked, voice dripping with sarcasm in hopes of keeping anger from seeping in. He couldn't even be certain that he had any right to be angry. Far as Claire knew Kevin had made his visit a permanent one. Why not renew their relationship?

How about because Darien might not like having his body be used as a sex doll?

He swallowed his ire, waiting on Claire's reaction to his rather blunt question.

Claire froze, mid-movement, eyes narrowing dangerously as she turned to look at him. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you and my brother had sex on this chair?"

Claire's fisted hand settled on her hips, her glare turning icy and dangerous. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

He closed his eyes, allowing those images that had been brought to the fore to return, and they brought others along for the ride. Alyx had warned him that this could happen, that Kevin's memories had been stored in his brain and, given the overlap of personalities that had occurred over the last few weeks, the chance of the memories being available to him remained high. He shook his head in a vain attempt to banish what he saw, with little success. For the first time he understood why Alyx disliked how her memory worked. He didn't really want to see his Keeper getting it on with his brother, especially when he knew it had been his body doing the deed. This was just too fucking weird.

"Oh, I don't know. How about 'cause I remember it," Darien snarked, as he opened his eyes to observe Claire's reaction.

Claire paled then flushed as realization sank in. " _You_  remember? That should not-" Her mouth snapped shut. "Never mind." She stayed across the room, leaned back against one of the lab tables and met his look with one that lacked guilt. "Yes, Kevin and I... got together, but it never went that far. He... he refused to allow it, citing concern about you and our… relationship when you returned."

Well now, wasn't that an interesting turn of events. Kev turning down a chance to get laid with the woman who had probably been the love of his life. "But you still wanted to."

Claire sighed heavily, tucking her blonde hair behind one ear. "What do you want me to say, Darien? Yes, I wanted to be with Kevin, regardless of the fact he was, in actuality, dead."

He couldn't exactly complain too much, other than part of him feeling like a sex doll that held a personality. Kevin, while here, hadn't been real. He'd been nothing but an echo. At that thought he heard Alyx's voice saying those very words to him... to Kevin, he supposed. But Darien happened to believe she was right.

A frown crossed Claire's features. "I think... I think he really wanted to be with someone else," she finally admitted, her voice soft and hurt.

"If you mean Alyx..." Darien burst out laughing. "Uh, I can say with certainty Alyx avoided Kevin as much as possible because it screwed with her head."

Claire glared, not appreciating the humor at a guess. "You've seen her," she accused, "since you... woke up. You've spoken to her."

_Oops_. He hadn't meant to let that particular cat out of the bag. "Yeah, I have. She knew the instant I was back and quite literally knocked me on my ass when she greeted me." He shifted, drawing his feet up onto the chair and dangling his arms across his knees. "She's seriously fucked up right now, but should be all right in a few days."

Claire looked like she wanted to be angry, but swallowed it down. "How is she, really?" she asked, the concern real.

"Been better, that's for certain," he explained. "She's trying to save the world, yet again."

"On her own?"

"Who has she had to help her?"

Claire shook her head. "I thought she had been helping Kevin when he wasn't here."

Darien shrugged. "You'd have to ask her, I s'pose."

"Damn it," Claire muttered.

"What?"

"I was assuming..." She shook her head. "Does she have Kevin's laptop?"

Darien shook his head, that faint hope vanishing with her words. "We were hoping he had left it here. He didn't work on any of the lab computers?'

"Yes, but I presumed he worked on the current project on it as well, since he often came in with new data on thumb drives," she told him as she flipped the switches on the modified EEG machine.

He frowned as fancy lines began to scroll across the screen and paper spewed out. "How long is this going to take? I'm kinda hungry."

She grinned and shook her head, clearly amused by his reversion to a cranky five year old, which had been his intent. Doing his egghead Kevin imitation would probably just piss her off, then  _she'd_  be cranky and it was never wise to have an irritated Keeper when she might be wielding sharp objects in his direction. "This part will take about an hour if you cooperate. You can eat after."

"Works." No point in complaining at this juncture. "Maybe all of us do lunch? You need a break, Keepy."

"I'll think about it. Now hush," she admonished with a wave.

He smiled and leaned back in the chair. Might as well relax while he could, who knew what might be coming next.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

_Next_  turned out to be a late dinner with Alyx. When Claire had finally released him, threatening far more invasive tests if the completed ones did not reveal the answers she hoped for, he needed to get as far away as possible from the loving bosom of the Agency. Away from the anger and resentment of the Official. Away from the excessive worry of Hobbes. He loved his friend and partner, but he had nagged and needled at Darien all afternoon. Wanting to be certain everything was copacetic, which neither he or Claire could truly answer as none of the tests would have results till sometime tomorrow.

Darien needed time. Time to adjust to being back. Time to absorb all that had happened. Time to not be angry and hurt and bitter at his once again dead brother who could have at least said goodbye this time. Especially, given he had been working so very hard on leaving and granting Darien the opportunity to live out the rest of his life. Not just a short note that revealed nothing of true value.

He wanted comfort. A hand to hold his and tell him it had been worth it. That taking the chance to give his brother a second one had been the right thing to do no matter how selfish the reasons. Alyx had shown him that family was worth anything, even when they were mad at you. She constantly encouraged Darien to make connections with his family, the few members he had left, advice he had taken, if with due caution. He wanted no part of this life, this dangerous foray into the world of spies, to spill over onto Aunt Celia and threaten the few years she had left.

Alyx stayed away from her family for the very same reason, and she hated it. Funny how meeting her had made him understand so many things he'd never cared about before. Caring for her... loving her had changed him in ways he'd not even truly begun to understand.

Which is why he knew he would find solace in her arms.  _She_  would understand when no one else possibly could. They had both lost so much in the last few years that even the consolation of finding each other could not erase the pain that had been imprinted on the very fiber of their beings.

He led his babysitters to Alyx's place, the Official unwilling to leave anything to chance, or to reveal that Kevin had given up control of the body. They had to assume they were being watched even though they weren't supposed to know they were being watched. If nothing else, the agents could be an early warning system if this Royce decided to make his move and just grab Darien off the street. He wouldn't be too concerned while with Alyx, but right now he couldn't be with her twenty-four/seven, permitting a protection detail, even if a mostly useless one, remained a necessary evil.

A closed door greeted his arrival, but it didn't overly concern him. She had been pretty much on her own since Kevin had done the permanent move in thing. Yeah, Bobby had been communicating with her and checking on her... hell working with her when he could, but she had taken on the lion's share of the research. While the Official and Eberts obviously knew Royce had been the one to cause all the trouble, they had done everything in their power to hide it from them, leaving Alyx to go digging and discover it on her own.

Just like she always did.

She could have just left it alone. Waited it out and done nothing. But that wasn't her. No. She could not rest on her proverbial laurels. She had to find out what was going on and do everything in her power to set things to rights.

Just like the Official wanted.

The door opened to the incredible scent of spicy food. He inhaled deeply as he stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind him and shedding his jacket. The heavenly scent of exotic, spicy food teased his nostrils and made his mouth water. "Thai?"

"Well, I did promise you the Phad, but didn't think you'd be interested in the furry version."

He tracked her location by the sound of her voice to the kitchen, where she dressed dinner. Emptying cartons into bowls, which he thought was unnecessary even as he appreciated the extra effort. He strode over to her and kissed her on the top of the head, picked up a hunk of chicken in his fingers and popped it into his mouth. "Can I help?"

"Set the table?"

"Sure." He grabbed a couple plates and several sets of chopsticks and carried them to her dining table. "You didn't have to do this for me. I'd've been fine with leftovers."

"But then I wouldn't have had an excuse to get Thai," she said with a grin as she came out of the kitchen precariously balancing several bowls in her hands. Or maybe not so precariously given there wasn't even a bobble as she transferred them to the table. "I have some beer and hard cider to drink, if you like."

Oh, he most definitely liked, except that Claire had ordered him to not indulge until the tests were completed. He sighed. "Can't. Keepy's orders. I talked her into soda, if you have any."

"Uh, Coke, I think, and there's always coffee." She headed across the kitchen to see what she had buried in the fridge. "Yep, two Cokes." She tossed one in his direction, which he deftly caught. She grabbed a hard cider for herself, twisting off the top and tossing the cap into the can with an ease that made Darien want to smile. She was a lot more relaxed than she had been even yesterday  _after_  several hours of wanton, sweat-dripping, muscle-quivering sex. She waved for him to head to the table and added in an insistent look to make certain he did so.

Once they were seated, the first set of chopsticks in his hand he asked, "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Better, I guess. Less flip-floppy emotion-wise, but still off."

He sighed softly, though the response was pretty much what he had expected. "Probably because I'm still off," he said around a bite of food. "I... I remember Kevin and Claire... kissing and called her on it."

Alyx didn't even bat an eye, on the surface anyway, he felt a burst of raw, tangled emotion, but it disappeared before he could truly make heads or tails of it. "Spontaneous or triggered?"

It took a second for him to get what she was asking, but he finally did and answered, "Uh, triggered. I don't know whether or not to be angry about it."

She nodded slowly. "Depends. Is it worth getting angry over?"

He used a serving spoon to add more food to his plate. "I'm not sure. It's not like I got a say in the matter." He frowned, not wanting his relationship with his  _Keeper_  to be any more awkward than it already was. "Kev's not coming back, so I suppose I should just let it go. 'Sides wouldn't be the first time I've dreamt about her... that way."

Alyx snickered. "No, it's not." When Darien looked surprised at her off-handed comment she added, "Considering the limited choices you had for... companionship, it makes perfect sense that you would not only dream about her, but fantasize. It's not like I'm going to hold it against you."

That concern, slight as it had been, eased instantly. "So, a little mental three-way with you and Keepy is okay?"

She cocked one eyebrow at him. "So long as I get my turn at the fantasizing, it's perfectly okay."

Darien laughed softly. She had such confidence in  _them_  that he doubted anything could shake her belief... but then again, she still wouldn't marry him.

And that was not a topic to dwell on tonight. Especially, not when he'd just come back after being gone for far too long. "So, how did your day go?"

"Well enough, I suppose. I've been digging into the possible connection and think I've found it. The Official won't be thrilled when I fill him in, but one agency stealing personnel or data from another isn't exactly new." She settled back into her chair and took a drink before continuing. "Since I can't be two places at once I set up bugs on the two of them."

"You bugged Royce?" Darien asked in true surprise. That took balls, to put it mildly, which she most definitely had. "And he didn't find it?"

She grinned. "It's not in his office, so he's not under constant surveillance, but Jennings is. Plus, I'm tracking their cell phone use."

Darien made a face. "C'mon, I doubt Royce is dumb enough to make contact with Jennings on his personal, or business line."

"True," she agreed, "but Jennings is a geek through and through and unless Royce walked him through the basics of burner cells, he probably  _is_  using his personal cell. I just need to prove the connection."

He wagged a finger at her. "You're good, you know that?"

She nodded. "Very good. How pissed was Jennings about Kev?"

Yes, it was a radical subject change, but he let it be for now as he suspected she had a reason for it. "Extremely. He accused me of creating an anti-suppressant, which I had to point out was impossible given I had been forced into being the secondary personality thanks to the suppressor he had dosed Kevin with."

Alyx blinked. "Still have access to Kev's memories, I see."

"So, it would seem," he answered rubbing the back of his head. "That even felt weird. I'm not exactly dumb, but what's going on in my head..." He trailed off, not quite certain how to explain it. He had thoughts and images running through his head the likes of which he had never experienced before and didn't entirely understand even as it all made sense.

She set a hand on his arm, patting him gently. "Kevin had your nightmares a few times, so you are not alone in the feeling weird. It'll fade."

"What if I don't want it to? What if I want to hold onto the last bit of Kevin that I have?"

"Then hold onto it. I can't promise you'll succeed, but you can try."

"Cool," he said, ducking his head and knowing that she would help any way she could. "It won't fry my synapses or nothing, will it?"

"Nah, even with the gland you've got synapses to spare."

"Oh, that just gives me so much confidence." He looked over the ravaged Thai food and pondered what to do next: pull her into his arms and just be for a while, or find out a bit more about this Royce and how they were going to get the Agency out of the hole it appeared to have fallen into. Duty, on this ever so rare of occasions, won. "So what are we going to do about Royce?"

"That is a damn good question," she grumbled. He knew she'd been working on this alone for far too long and wanted to help, hell, needed to help, but was unsure how. They wanted to keep him away from Royce, but he suspected that meeting would need to happen for this to be resolved.

"Here's food thought. Jennings insisted he had to take me to Leavitt for specific tests. Both the Keep and the 'Fish said no and made it stick. That's part of why he was so pissed." Pissed wasn't even close. The man had been livid, though Darien got the distinct impression that it had been a cover. That Jennings was under some outside pressure (as Alyx suspected) and that terror lay just below the anger; all the bluster a cover so that no one would suspect that he had serious ulterior motives and had had them from the get-go.

"Oh, the sneaky little shit. He's probably under orders to deliver you. Though I'm somewhat surprised the Keep didn't agree with the off site tests. It's not like we can run a CT scan down in the labs... not yet, anyway."

"Well, we kinda dropped hints to the 'Fish that you were saving the day yet again. He's gonna give you whatever leeway you need, so long as you stay off the books," he told her, feeling oddly guilty that her show of defiance had been nothing more that an expected maneuver by the Official. "And Claire put two and two together. No details, but she's in on the something hinky is going on thing and will do what she can at her end to protect me."

Alyx sighed, this time in clear relief. "That helps, though I'll probably still be stepping on a lot of toes to get to the bottom of this." She stood, plate in hand and carried it to the kitchen; clearly the meal had reached an end for her. "We'll need to move soon if we want to stop Royce. He's getting antsy and might just go over our boss' head to get his dirty mitts on you."

"So we need to plan," Darien summed up, poking through the sauce for a few more bits of chicken. He wished, and not for the first time, that their lives were made of far simpler stuff, that moments alone were really that, just the two of them alone without the pressures of life weighing ever so heavily upon their souls. A simple dinner shouldn't be a matter of life or death, yet more often than not that was exactly what it was. "When are we gonna catch a break?" he questioned of the air about him. He should have known she would overhear.

"Good question. I tend to go with eventually, or someday." She poked her head around the wall to look him in the eye. "It... our life isn't all bad, is it?"

He got to his feet and went to her, drawing her into an embrace. "No, it's not, but some days I wish we had more, is all. More us, if that makes any sense." He kissed the top of her head before releasing her. "And here I am whining 'woe is me' again when we need to get to work." He sighed softly. "Just you and me with the plotting and planning?"

She just grinned up at him as her buzzer went off and she called out, "Come on in, Bobby."

The door slid open and Bobby Hobbes strode in, a stack of files in his right hand. He glanced over at the table. Obviously making note of the food still remaining. "You said ten, right? I'm not early am I?"

Darien turned to Alyx. "This is not the three-way I agreed upon."

Alyx burst out laughing and all was right with the universe.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

"We need to bait the hook," Alyx stated, not sounding happy about the conclusion she had come to.

"With what and for who?" Hobbes asked.

"For whom," Darien corrected without really thinking about it.

"For Royce," Alyx told both men. "Jennings has several bank accounts, with funds coming in from multiple of sources, but as he 'consults' for over a dozen companies, there is nothing overtly suspicious about them. I'm running a trace on the funds going back six months, but it will take a while. I'd been focusing my energies on Royce, I'm afraid."

"Kid, none of us suspected Jennings of being anything more than the Official's toady," Hobbes patted her on the shoulder. "He comes across as little more than a yes-man and we all bought it."

"Any chance he's working for Arnaud?" Darien asked, earning a shocked looked from Alyx. "Wouldn't be the first time he's hired outside help. Heilberg, remember?"

She frowned. "I think that would be one connection too many. Hell, I hope that is one connection too many."

Hobbes scrubbed his face in his hands. "While I wouldn't mind blaming Arnie for this, and agree Jennings could potentially be on the Phone's payroll, I don't think he's our big bad. He's turned up in Venezuela, got pics and everything."

Darien shook his head. "What the hell is he doing there?"

Hobbes shrugged. "Making money, I imagine. Now that he's visible, he's probably back to his old tricks. War mongering would be right up his alley and there's plenty willing to buy his product down there."

"And we... I gave him his power back," Alyx growled, the anger directed at herself.

"Kid, don't beat yourself up about it. At the time it was a fair bargain and got us what we wanted - Claire. Alive and in one piece." Hobbes had gone into full reassurance mode.

Alyx beating herself up about that one mistake would not do them any good right now. They needed her focused on the current situation, not second-guessing one from over a month ago. She'd made the best decision possible at the time, and she would again in the future. "Back to Jennings. What bait?"

They both looked right at Darien. "Oh crap. You mean me." He rubbed the back of his head and paced away. "Isn't giving me to Royce about the worst idea ever?"

"If it gets us what we need to take him down? No," Hobbes answered without hesitation. "This Perdue refused a job for a reason, we need to find out what."

Darien sighed. They'd filled him in on their suspicions that Perdue had been ordered to make a hit on someone and had said no, though they had no specific idea why, and talking to Perdue did not appear to be an option at this juncture. "Okay, so how? If Jennings has been keeping him in the loop, then he knows I've been Kevin the last few weeks and I should have no clue about him."

Hobbes glanced over at Alyx who looked stoic, whatever course of action she had decided upon not one his partner was overly thrilled about. "We let Jennings take you to him, like I think he was supposed to once he'd confirmed the hosting had worked as planned."

"But that would be stupid. The hosting failed as far as he knows," Darien pointed out, hoping they'd come up with an alternate solution.

"But he doesn't know why," Alyx reminded in a soft voice. "As far as he knows the suppressor simply wore off... after several weeks of continuous hosting. What Royce needs you for, the immediate need anyway, might easily be fulfilled in a few days, and after that it may not matter that the hosting fails."

That... Yeah, that made sense. "You think Jennings is going to try to stick me with another huge honking needle?"

"Try being the operative word here, Fawkes. We have no intention of allowing that to happen." Hobbes scrubbed the top of his head with one hand. "You won't be going in alone."

"I know, but it doesn't mean I'm not any less freaked out about it. What if..."

"What?" Alyx asked, her tone carefully neutral.

"What if he injects me with mRNA before either of you can stop it?"

Hobbes looked at Alyx, who met his eyes squarely. "Kid, I'm smart enough to know that the Doc didn't leave by accident. In fact, I'm pretty damn certain he helped it along. Whatever you say stays between us."

Alyx nodded. "I'm reasonably sure that you cannot host again, but until someone tries we won't know for certain. That said, this is a risk, but I will do everything in my power to make certain you come out of this you."

"I know, baby. I just wish there were another way."

"Kid could volunteer to make the hit. Wouldn't necessarily solve the real issue, though."

"And what is that?" Darien asked, wondering where his partner's mind had hared off to now.

"That a) Royce knows about the gland, and b) that he knows the gland is capable of hosting another personality. Neither of these are something the Official has advertised."

_Shit_. "Never mind the fact that unless Royce is insanely stupid he's not going to show up to give me the job until after Jennings assures him I'm  _not_  me." He turned to Alyx who was frowning deeply. "We need a definitive connection between the two or all of this is for nothing."

Alyx rubbed her face in her hands. If he hadn't been certain she'd slept just last night, if only for a couple of hours, he would have sworn she hadn't slept in days she looked so worn. "I have one. The phone traces finally paid off."

Hobbes snorted in derision. "No way you caught Royce calling Jennings from his phone, business or personal."

"And you would be quite correct, or so it would seem. Both men own Blackberries, complete with Internet access. And both have an interesting masking program on their phones. Makes suspicious phone calls look ordinary. Royce I can see using it. Hell, I do when on the job, but Jennings? And Jennings' copy was downloaded within the last six months. The identical version as Royce's."

"Which could mean absolutely nothing," Hobbes pointed out, before Darien could.

Alyx just shrugged.

"So, how does it work?" Darien asked, truly curious. He'd never taken to a lot of the tech aspects of the spy game, but Alyx had, and excelled at it, which was good, 'cause while Hobbes was okay with tech, they'd been stumped a time or two and Alyx had come in and made it look simple. Just more proof that the three of them made an excellent team and compensated for each other's inadequacies.

"They run their call through the program and instead of Jennings' phone saying Royce, it'll say 'Mom' complete with her number and phone info, but it's a fake. Everything down to timestamps can be faked."

"But can the real data be recovered?" Darien asked, catching on quickly for a change.

Alyx smiled. "Yes, but I'll need access to both phones in person. I could hack my way in, but it would set off alerts and I don't want to spook Royce unless there's no choice."

"Kid, if the only way to get him to back off is spooking him, we'll do it," Hobbes growled, not liking his partner in trouble at all.

Darien shook his head. "If he has his own agenda, like you think, he's not likely to be the one in charge, someone is pulling his strings. Get rid of him and someone else will just move in, and if Royce has the gland info, his boss probably does."

"Then we'd have to start all over again and there's no guarantee they won't just snatch Fawkes out of his bed with none of us the wiser until it's far too late." Hobbes' hands curled into fists tight enough to turn the knuckles white. "We need to catch Royce and find out who he's working for."

"Crap," Darien muttered. "I still don't like the sending me in thing. What? Not like I can fake being this Perdue to get a face-to-face with Royce."

"No, but you might be able to persuade Jennings that you are be willing to do the job without playing host. That might gain you an audience," Alyx suggested.

"No," Hobbes said, suddenly excited. "I mean yes, but cut out the middleman." He poked Fawkes in the sternum. "You will go straight to Royce." He glanced over at Alyx, who cocked her head. Darien wasn't certain if they were talking mind-to-mind or if she was just processing. "You'll voluntarily offer your services."

Darien narrowed his eyebrows, wondering what was going on this time. "And why would he go for that?"

Hobbes smiled dangerously. "Trust me, Fawkes, he won't be able to resist."

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

_The screen before his eyes blurred. He hadn't slept in nearly a day, but wanted to get this information into the computer. He only had so much time and there was so much yet to do. So much data to record, data that she needed and would make good use of. And then... then he needed to go into the Agency and work with Claire without giving the game away._

_He finished keying in the line and leaned back stretching his arms up over his head. His neck and shoulders felt tight and he wished Alyx had chosen to stop by, she knew exactly how to get the kinks out after he'd spent hours hunched over a keyboard, no matter how ergonomic the chair. He glanced about the room to the fridge shoved in the corner, trying to remember if there remained any beer, based on the number of bottles in the nearby trash can, that answer would be a no. Still, he needed something to drink, so he got up, not liking the dull ache in his lower back and strode over to the fridge to find, bottled water, Powerades in assorted colors, and one last Red Bull._

_He sighed, deciding it might be better if he got more than a couple hours of sleep tonight and chose the water. Alyx only stocked the best, so Dasani it was. Twisting off the top he once again admired the server farm she had acquired for him. If he'd had computers like this for Perseus..._

_He could, right now, all he had to do was stop this foolishness and tell the Official he was ready and willing to work, to restart the project and take it to its fruition. An updated gland without the nasty side-effects. With what he had learned, he could have a new one ready for testing in months at most. In a host within half a year. All he had to do was not care. Not care that he lived in his brother's body. Not care that Alyx would end up a broken mess if he remained in full control for much longer. Not care that if he lived, he had died in vain._

_He had saved Darien. If he stayed, took over Darien's life, he would be no better than Arnaud, who had corrupted his life's work for his own personal aggrandizement. Kevin had always considered himself better that most, working to save the world, to prove that one man, at the right time, with the right ability, could change the world, and yet here he sat, contemplating whether his brother's existence was worth saving._

_That answer had become clear: yes._

_Darien had made a great difference in the lives of so many since being recruited by the Agency. Had saved any number of people. Had, no matter how much of a bad boy he tried to be, become a good man, just as Kevin had always believed he could be. What was it Alyx had said? Quoting some Disney movie he had never seen because he'd been dead before it had come out. "A pirate and a good man." Though in Darien's case it was more appropriately 'a thief and a good man.'_

_She saw so much in him, saw the real person and not the punk with a bad attitude, and it had made such a difference. The videos he had left proved that out. He cared for her in a way Kevin had not thought possible of his footloose buck-every-authority-in-every-way brother._

_He had drained half the bottle and needed to get back to work. Another hour and he should have enough info recorded to feel free to sleep for a while. Then he had to sneak back into the apartment and crash. He and Claire still had to finish the toxin inhibitor, but they were making headway._

_He adjusted the chair and returned his attention to the computer screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he attempted to record the reams of information he had in his head._

 

Darien's eyes focused on the ceiling. The change from asleep and dreaming to awake, sudden and startling. His cheeks felt damp and he shifted his hand to discover tears drying on his face. He knew the dream had not truly been one, but some memory of Kevin's stored in his brain and that his sleeping mind had chosen to access.

That his sleeping mind had chosen to torture him with.

Alyx's head appeared next to his, planting a soft kiss on his jaw. "You okay, sweets?"

No, he wasn't. He was alive when his brother should be. "Kev should have stayed," he finally said.

She frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"Because he is the genius in the family. Because he had plans, great plans that would have made a difference for the entire world." He lowered his voice, eyes closing for a long moment before he whispered, "Because he's three times the man I ever will be."

Instead of admonishing him, she simply leaned her face into his and breathed in deeply for several silent minutes. That she instantly didn't argue his point as incorrect both upset and left him feeling relieved. He so did not want his feelings to be invalidated with useless arguments.

"Then why did he save you?"

That one was easy to answer. "He didn't. He saved the gland."

"Saved the gland from what? He knew it was nothing without you."

Darien didn't believe her... couldn't believe her. It made no sense. Anyone could have made better use of the gland, especially a real agent and not a thief who hadn't a clue what he had been getting into when he had said yes. "You can't know that," he argued hoarsely. But maybe she could. She had been here the last few weeks with Kevin, maybe he had told her things that he hadn't been able to say to his brother... Ah, who was he kidding? If Kevin had wanted to say anything he could have left a video or three on the missing laptop, but instead he'd left a half-assed goodbye note and nothing else.

Well, almost nothing else. He'd left memories behind to tease, taunt, and torment his younger brother for who knew how many weeks or months to come.

"He used the storage unit?"

Alyx twitched at that, which meant she hadn't planned on telling him. "We did. He needed someplace private and out of the purview of the Agency to work on the counter to the suppressor."

"What else did he do there? Did he get to know you a little better?" With all the self-doubt he currently felt, his mouth spoke before his brain could sensor the words. Little chance Kev wouldn't take an interest in her, even with Claire wanting to play bed games. Maybe Alyx had stayed away not because Kevin in Darien had been screwing up her head, but because she was enjoying the attention more than she wanted to admit.

"I suppose he did, but not the way you are thinking.  _He_  never wanted me. You did. Even when so deep asleep I could barely feel you, you still wanted me. And who was it that suggested he kiss me to bring you out, hmm?"

Okay, so she had a point with that one. "He was working on so many things, trying to get so much information onto those servers before he left... if he had just stayed, it wouldn't be an issue. He would have had the rest of his life to create-"

She cut him off. "Your life. Not his. Even he realized this from day one."

"But he could have stayed," Darien all but whined.

"Yes, and probably would have been willing to if the two of you had continued to share the body. He was furious about the suppressor. He'd been brought in to save Claire, no more."

"No, he wasn't."

"Then why?" Alyx asked, look far too serious for his taste, their state of undress, and closeness.

"He was the test run." Darien hadn't known that, but Kevin must have, as it made perfect sense. The Official might not have been aware of the suppressor, or that Jennings had a side gig with Royce, but bringing in Kev would get Royce off the Agency's back for a time, while also allowing him to get some useful work out of a former employee. The 'Fish might have been backed into a corner, but he'd still manipulated all of them in his usual expert fashion. He rubbed the side of his face, more memories knocking on that new door inside his head wanting to come through and reveal themselves to the light of brightest day, but, right now, he had no interest in them.

"Yes, he was," Alyx agreed. "Though we didn't figure that out until much later and by then he'd already begun his efforts to... to leave." She shifted up onto and elbow, supporting her head on her palm. "He watched the Perseus recordings."

Darien sucked in a sharp breath. Even he hadn't managed to do that. Those photos had been more than enough; the images and the memories still haunted him to this day. "Why?" he asked in a choked voice.

"Because he dreamed about dying... from your point of view, and wanted to understand why he saved you, given, from his perspective, the two of you hadn't spoken in years." She leaned down to kiss him tenderly on the forehead. "He discovered that he had come to not only love, but  _like_  his brother. For the first time in years you had proven that you weren't a useless troublemaker, that your mind, the same mind you used to steal from people, gave you the ability to use the gland and the Quicksilver in ways he hadn't even considered. Nothing Cole had done had even come close."

"Cole got stuck invisible," Darien reminded, tone harsher than he had intended.

"Yes, he did, and freaked out. You didn't. At least not once you realized how useful being invisible could be to a thief."

Oh, she knew him so very well. Yeah, he'd told Kev to take it out after that first experience invisible, but then he'd thought about it. Even told Kev of the risks of giving a person like him that kind of power and he hadn't backed down, just watched and encouraged as Darien had pushed the envelope on the tech. And then Kev had been dead. Bloody and broken in his arms and all Darien had was the hope of revenge and a not-so-slow descent into madness.

Things had not gone exactly as planned and he'd ended up stuck with the gland, and a paranoid, neurotic partner who'd become his best friend in the world. A beautiful Keeper, who waffled between caring more about the gland than the man and back. A boss who would, could, and  _did_  manipulate him at every opportunity. And Alyx; the one person he had met who looked at Darien Fawkes and saw no more than that.

"Are you saying I'm worth more than my brother?"

"No," She shook her head making his heart drop to somewhere in the vicinity of his stomach though they lay horizontal on the bed, "I'm saying you are worth  _no less_."

He pulled her down and kissed her, her statement just reaffirming why he cared so much about her. "Thank you," he hoarsely whispered, his throat tightening about the words.

"Welcome. Now go back to sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow. Saving the universe and all."

He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." He wrapped his arms about her and pulled her close, her head tucked tight onto his shoulder so that her curls tickled his cheek.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Alyx had put the layout of the building into his head, which made it far simpler to get to Royce than even he'd expected. It was late enough that most of the offices were dark, but not so late that it would be unusual for anyone to still be working. Royce's office door stood open just enough to make it a simple matter for him to sidle in without it shifting even a millimeter.

Royce sat at his desk, a single lamp creating a pool of light on the desktop, a file and keyboard within the pale glow while little spilled down the sides, leaving the floor hidden in inky darkness.

Obviously the man had few worries about being attacked in his office, and that would have been true on most days, but, then again, on most days he wouldn't be faced with a person who knew every detail about the security and who could also turn invisible, leaving little more than a whisper of sound and breath of icy air in his wake.

He set one hand on the desk leaning over the man's shoulder to see if there was anything of interest in the files before him.

The he dropped the Quicksilver.

Royce twitched.

"Just relax, all right. I'm not here to mess with you. As a matter of fact, it's... uh... it's pretty much the opposite."

Royce recovered his composure very quickly, not even reaching for a weapon as far as Darien could tell. "Very impressive. That little trick of yours." He leaned back in his chair looking comfortable and in complete control.

Darien shrugged and stood, shoving his hands into his back pockets. "Well, for what it cost, it better be."

Royce just smiled up at Darien, cool, confident, unafraid. In fact, Royce looked far more like he'd been sitting here just waiting for Darien to make his grand entrance and that so did not bode well for the outcome. "All right. You've got my attention."

"I want you to back off of the Agency and the Official," he stated, watching Royce's face carefully.

Royce laughed. "And what makes you think I've give a damn about your crappy little Agency?"

"Well, considering how hard you've been pushing my boss to borrow me, I'd guess you give one hell of a damn." Darien knew he had scored with that one when Royce frowned. Clearly, he'd been trying to keep his attempts at acquiring one invisible man very far under the radar. "You want me for a job, I want things to go back to normal." He snorted softly. "As normal as they ever are, anyway."

"And just what do you think I need you to do?"

Darien smiled tightly. "My understanding is that you had an operative go rogue before completing an important assignment."

"I'd ask how exactly you got your information, but I suspect it would simply involve one or more of your partners. The woman, I'd guess. She seems to like her tech." Royce leaned forward, watching Darien carefully, but he made certain to keep his look neutral, not about to give the man any more information than necessary. "And what makes you think you can get the job done?"

"What makes you think I can't? I'm not as good a shot as he reportedly is, but, then again, I can get to point blank range. Make the killing as personal as you would like." Darien didn't know why he'd made that little addition, but Royce sure seemed to appreciate it, eyes widening and a hint of pleasure lighting up his face.

"And what if I need you for more than one job?"

Alyx had warned him to expect that. "Then we negotiate for it. I mean, unless you can offer me some real incentive, I won't be leaving the Agency anytime soon."

Royce showed his teeth in what was almost, but not quite a smile. "Oh, I'm certain I can offer you substantial incentives, but let's stick to the job at hand. If I like your work, I'll consider making the job more permanent."

Darien didn't like the sound of that, for he suspected that if the man really got his claws into him, he'd find himself strapped down to a table with a very large bore needle being shoved into the back of his skull, after which he probably would not be waking up as Darien Fawkes, but this Forrester Perdue, assassin extraordinaire. Still, he had to keep up the pretense; he had to make sure the bait looked exceptionally tasty for this particular rat to walk right into the trap.

Royce nodded in satisfaction then leaned over to pull something out of his the bottom drawer. He held up the wand and Darien sighed. "No. I... I'm clean all right?" Least he hoped like hell he was. Alyx had threatened to wire him up with some high-end bugs, but Hobbes had nixed the idea, citing just this potential problem, but that didn't mean she hadn't gone and done it anyway.

"Put your arms up," Royce ordered, not about to let this go any further until he had satisfied his concerns. He ran the wand over all of Darien and got nothing more than some bings on belt buckles and such. He set the wand down and returned to his seat.

"Told you," Darien snarked to cover his relief. He really didn't want to get shot and he suspected Royce could do so without batting an eye.

"A little paranoia is a good thing in this job."

"Ain't that the truth," Darien agreed, his partner a prime of example of terminal paranoia that had saved their butts a time or two.

"Let's say we do this thing, When can you start?"

Darien shifted around to the front of the desk and settled into one of the chairs. "As soon as you tell me what it is you want to tell me."

Royce nodded tightly, clearly having decided that using Darien's current talent would do for now. "There's a senator in the Midwest. Head of the Appropriations Committee. He's made it a priority to cut spending to security agencies thereby causing a clear and present danger to the nation. I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen."

Huh. They'd presumed something of the sort was what would be going down, but even with Royce telling him in generalities, it didn't really make sense that he was the master of this scheme. Though if Perdue balked about killing this senator, Darien could agree with it. If all the man had done was voted the way his conscience dictated, it was not a crime, and definitely not worth killing him over. "So you... you want me to... to dissuade him.

"With extreme prejudice," Royce confirmed. There would no mistaking of the language. Darien might not be up on all things spook, but he'd picked up more than enough of the lingo for there to be no mistake of what Royce, or his puppet master, wanted. "Once that's taken care of, we'll discuss what you'll be doing next."

"And you'll leave the Agency alone," Darien insisted.

"Are you sure? You could be of much more use working for me, I can assure you of that." Royce's voice had taken on that slimy hint of used car salesman. Even Alyx wouldn't fall for it.

"I'm sure you can, but I doubt that will be happening anytime in the near future," Darien told him, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice. "You're going to be far too busy with your incarceration and trial, I imagine."

Royce blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Hobbes stepped through the door, Alyx and a quartet of agents behind them. "You know that saying 'you can't be too thin or too rich?' Add to that you can't be too paranoid." He held up a digital recorder that tied to the bug Darien had placed under the edge of Royce's desk, while still coated in Quicksilver. Hobbes hit play and Royce's voice wafted out, " _He's made it a priority to cut spending to security agencies thereby causing a clear and present danger to the nation. I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen._ "

Royce got to his feet and charged Hobbes. "You son of a bitch."

Darien surged upright and intercepted the man with a nice clean right hook that put him on the floor dazed enough to be of no trouble to anyone for a few minutes at the very least. "I was hoping he'd do that." He turned to Alyx. "Your turn, find what you need so that we can shut down Jennings."

She paused in front of him, a delicate finger resting on his chest for an instant, a look of determination on her face. "Promise," she said then moved to the chair Royce had so recently vacated. "Bobby, I'll need his phones."

Hobbes rifled through Royce's pockets after he'd been dragged to his feet in cuffs, coming up with two, which he tossed to her. "There you go, kid."

"Jennings still being tailed?" Darien asked, and damn near laughed at the look on Royce's face now that full awareness had returned. "Yeah, we figured out you were pulling his strings a while back."

Royce slid his poker face back into the correct position. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Of course you don't," Alyx sneered as she began typing away at the keyboard. "Give me an hour. I should have everything we need."

"Good enough, kid. Fawkes, Collins you stay here while I make  _former_  USSA agent Royce here all nice and comfortable in the cell back at the Agency." Royce chose then to struggle, even if the effort seemed to be half-hearted at best, but one good shake from Bobby that thwacked his head into the wall leaving him reeling for several seconds seemed to confirm the stupidity of that move; after that he chose to cooperate as he was shoved in the direction of the doorway.

Once gone from the room Darien grabbed one of the chairs, set it down next to Alyx and settled into it, propping his feet up on the corner of the desk. Collins stood at attention near the door, watching over everything with a wary eye. "Well, that went better than expected."

Alyx snorted. "That was way too easy. I suspect that when you showed, he knew we were onto the whole plot and had orders to throw himself on his sword should he be caught."

"You really don't think he came up with this on his own?" Darien could. He could see some self-serving bureaucrat taking it upon himself to eliminate a senator or two should then not suit his preferred agenda, especially with a hitter as good as Perdue was purported to be.

"To kill a senator over a vote? No. Something deeper is going on. Maybe Chrysalis even. Though they seem to prefer bribes to obvious assassination." She shook her head. "I'll know more when I know more."

He set a hand on her shoulder, surprised at how tense she was given the worst was over... wasn't it? "Not gonna argue with you, baby, just hoping we'd catch an easy one for a change is all."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" she said with a sigh, then returned to her work on the computer.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

Jennings had tried to run. He hadn't made it very far, still trying to stuff papers into a briefcase when Hobbes and company had burst into his home. He hadn't bothered to fight; he been smart enough to know it would be fruitless and that Hobbes would probably beat on him just for fun. Alyx would have  _hurt_  him, which was why she'd chosen to work on Royce's files first.

Still, once she'd gotten into Jennings' phone she'd found all the proof she, and the Official, needed to tie Royce to Jennings. Where Royce had learned about the Quicksilver gland and it's unique secondary ability he refused to tell. It hadn't been from Jennings, who had failed utterly at keeping his trap shut once Alyx had walked into the padded room where he'd been shoved much to his dismay. He clearly liked the room about as much as Darien as he had spent a couple hours demanding to be released before resigning himself to the situation and choosing the bed as his place to pout.

The phones, as expected, had been the key. The communication going back months, perhaps even before this Perdue had gone rogue. They couldn't be quite sure, as Royce was less than forthcoming with any information. In fact, he shut his mouth tight after requesting a lawyer, which the Official had laughed at. Royce would be going away for treason, no ifs ands or buts. Jennings would probably be locked in an Agency owned oubliette. He hadn't conspired with Royce to kill the senator, had known nothing about it, supposedly. No, he'd just offered the means for Royce to get his rogue agent back in a new younger body. Something that, technically, wasn't illegal.

Jennings would disappear and never be heard from again, but only after they had sucked him dry of information.

Royce, on the other hand... well, they weren't quite certain what to do with him. He obviously had information that would be dangerous to the Agency in general and Darien in specific if it should get out to the wrong people. Not being able to host again did not mean someone wouldn't try. And that... that would be bad. He hadn't even broached the subject with Alyx or Claire, but had enough smarts to know that someone shoving a syringe full of strange DNA into his skull would probably cause a nasty side effect or two.

They could level whatever threats they wanted against Royce, but he would keep silent or not. Alyx might be able to convince him to keep mum, but it would probably require revealing her unique talents, presuming he didn't already know about them, and there was no way they'd give him more ammo to work with. The Official was doing everything he could to shore up their battered defenses now that they had solved the initial problem and arrested Royce.

Alyx had spent minimal time at the Agency. She come in to intimidate Jennings and then left again. Doing the majority of her research and backtracking the phone data in Royce's office. The local USSA director hadn't been thrilled to learn one of his own had been arrested for treason, or that he hadn't been apprised of situation before they'd made said arrest, but once he'd heard the recording he'd backed down. Once he'd been assured that anything Alyx learned that happened to be outside of the direct purview of the case she would keep to herself, given her clearance level, he had little to complain about. He did have concerns that this had not been the first case compromised by Royce, as he was the handler for several agents, not just the burned Perdue. He had also promised to 'look into' the situation with Perdue. It didn't guarantee he'd get his job, much less his life back, but the dogs would be called off until more information could be ferreted out. Not perfect, but an innocent man wouldn't be hunted for doing the right thing any longer.

So, when Alyx showed for the meeting, Darien was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to see her until he dragged her home for some food and sleep. She'd never been left alone, always with a minimum of one agent with her at all times. Mostly to remind her that the world still spun about her. She sometimes forgot that every question didn't need to be answered at once. If it took a couple days, well, then it took a couple days. She needed to take the time to be human, now and then. In this case she had deemed it important she get to the data  _now_  and no persuasion on his part would sway her. So he supported, when he could. They all had. Making certain she ate and had what she needed while working better than twenty-four hours straight.

She set several flash drives on the desk then stepped back, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't feel angry, per se, but it would be obvious to a blind man that she was not a happy camper. "I've got all we need to connected Jennings and Royce. Sadly, no texts or emails, but they have been making phone calls for months."

"Excellent," the Official said in seeming dismissal.

One look at Alyx and it was clear there was far more she had to tell. "Jennings is not the only person Royce had been using that masking program to contact."

"Who else?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. While I was able to get the real numbers from his phone, all had been disconnected, and the information on who those numbers belonged to erased so thoroughly that even I can't discern it."

Hobbes whistled low and long. "Damn, kid. Can you track anything?"

She turned to face him. "Area codes and not much else. According to all the data that still exists, those phone numbers have never been assigned to anyone,  _ever_."

The Official harumphed, drawing her attention back to him. "And his files. Any evidence he's done this before?"

"Not yet. And I'm keeping Director Jameson in the loop as to that, he is not happy that one of his top handlers has gone over to the dark side," she informed him, not about to apologize for doing what she saw as right and appropriate. "We could have avoided this entire mess if you had simply told us what was going on."

"Miss Silver, you-"

She cut him off, no a trace of fear in her anywhere. "No. This could have been resolved weeks ago, with far less risk to your, supposedly highly valuable personnel, and at a far lower cost to your budget." She paused for breath, just warming up to the topic. "You won't trust us."

"You mean, can't trust you," he growled, fully intending on getting his two cents in one way or another.

"No, Chief, won't," Hobbes stated.

"You don't have to manipulate us into doing what you need, not anymore. I've proven time and again that I will do what is necessary to protect this Agency," she looked over everyone in the room. "We all have, and yet you still choose manipulation over asking."

"Miss Silver, sometimes there is no choice," the Official argued.

"And sometimes there is," Claire countered with. "Alyx isn't stupid. She understands that there is information you can't share for whatever reason, but on this occasion I do agree with her."

"And why is that?" Eberts questioned, sounding curious, but more likely trying to deflect their attack away from his boss.

No way it was going to work.

"Let's see," Darien began, ticking off the answers on his fingers. "Claire kidnapped, Chrysalis probably having way more info than they should about the gland. Arnaud visible and free to move about the cabin."

Hobbes continued. "Weeks of actual work lost to dealing with this mess. Fawkes' head screwed up, god knows how bad. The kid... Alyx..." he trailed off when she shook her head ever so slightly.

"The point, Charlie, is that we would...  _will_  do what is needed. I'm going to spend weeks just checking over the computers here to make certain Jennings hasn't planted any worms, or backdoors."

"Plus, I now need to bring another researcher up to speed on the project," Claire added, getting in her say. "And you risked losing me permanently by allowing Arnaud to kidnap me. What if I had been killed and Jennings left in charge?"

The Official removed his glasses, tossing them onto the desktop and rubbing his eyes. "Your point has been made."

"Has it?" Darien asked. "I'm pretty certain Alyx still has a full scale rant waiting to let loose on you." He made certain not to crack a smile even as he watched the corners of her eyes crinkle and some of the tension flow out of her shoulders. He had her back; she just needed a reminder of that fact.

"Yes, Fawkes it has." The Official looked at Alyx directly. "This situation went further than even I had anticipated. Jennings working for Royce was... surprising and probably delayed my intended plans by several weeks." He tapped the desk with one finger. "Should there be another threat of this magnitude to the Agency I will read you in."

"Circle the wagons," Hobbes tossed in, earning a glare from the Official for his trouble.

"Yes, Robert, that is what he means," Eberts admonished, moving to stand behind the Official. "Doctor, I'll have a selection of new prospects on your desk by Friday."

Alyx rolled her eyes. "No one gets in without be vetted by me."

The Official nodded in agreement.

"Do we really need another one?" Darien asked. He understood the need, but would never trust anyone but his two girls. Hell, some days he trusted Alyx more than the Keep.

"Eventually," Alyx said turning to look at him, "but not now. We need to make some major upgrades to the security first."

"Upgrades?" the Official questioned, obviously hearing the dreaded sounds of dollar signs his budget could not afford.

"Yes. You want researchers? Then you need to be in control of them and oversee them directly. Jennings had probably been corrupted long ago, but as he worked out of our direct purview..."

"I get it," he grouched. "What would you suggest?"

"When you are ready to move forward, reopen Perseus," Alyx told him as if the answer should have been obvious. And maybe it should have been. The lab had been sitting there unused since... since... for too long. The Agency still paid for it, might as well get some use out of it.

"And why would we need a full scale lab?" The Official had a sour look on his face, clearly not wanting to hear her reasoning, no matter how honest and accurate it may be.

Alyx looked over at Claire who answered, "Because, as Kevin so quickly figured out, we can create new glands pretty much any time you wish, even if only for sampling purposes and that would best be done at a lab at an outside location."

"Hey, how about we figure out how to remove the existing one before we make new ones?" Darien knew that one day the project would continue, but no way he'd allow that to happen with the gland the way it currently was. The idea was not the problem, the execution, however, had been decidedly lacking.

"That would be the optimal solution, Darien, but functional glands used for testing would be exceedingly helpful for that very research," Claire explained to him, which he found hard to argue with.

The more they understood, more likely they'd be able to remove the one in his head some day. He could live with that if it ultimately led to him being gland free before retirement age. "Like with the toxin inhibitor you and Kev were working on?"

"Exactly," Claire agreed with a broad smile.

"Work you should probably be getting back to," the Official suggested, tone dry as dust.

"Of course," Claire instantly agreed, probably more than happy to escape her master's presence.

"Miss Silver, if you would stay for a moment," Eberts requested politely, even though it was far from a request.

Alyx sighed, one had running through her hair and looking like the last thing she wanted to do was be here. "I'm still pissed at you," she told her boss in no uncertain terms.

"As you should be," Darien stated, voice low with more than a touch of anger in it of his own. None of this needed to happen, had to happen, if the Official had just been a smidge more forthcoming with those he considered his top agents. Yeah, Hobbes could be considered on the downside of his career, and Darien tended to work no harder than absolutely necessary, but Alyx... Alyx defended what was hers, and no matter how much she hated the Agency, she considered it part of her duty to protect it, especially since it protected her family.

"Fawkes," Hobbes warned, shaking his head.

"So, you had no appreciation for your family reunion?" the Official questioned sardonically.

Darien glowered. That had been low, even for the manipulative bastard that was his boss. "A reunion you created to save me... in your twisted way."

The Official nodded. "In my own twisted way that is exactly right. If Royce had gotten ahold of you..."

"He would no longer be Darien Fawkes thanks to Jennings." Alyx paced slowly about the room. "I'm hoping you had no idea that Royce intended it to be a permanent hosting, but clearly you knew he wanted to borrow Darien for that secondary use of the gland."

"I did," the Official admitted, not bothering to hide the truth, some of it anyway, when it was clear they knew he'd be lying. "I had thought that without Claire it would be far more difficult to accomplish."

"But someone had slipped Jennings all the data necessary to handle a hosting and you managed to talk them into a trial run and used Kevin for it." It wasn't a question, it was obvious that's how the Official had maneuvered things, and it had damn near blown up in their faces. "Jennings has a counter to the suppressor, otherwise there was no point in giving it to Kevin," Alyx informed them, not that it was much of a bombshell at this point.

"But you haven't found it," Hobbes stated with a frown.

"Not yet. It is not on that external drive he's been carrying around," Alyx said with a frown. "I'll keep looking, because we cannot let that information get out."

"No, we cannot," the Official agreed, tone hard. "Keep looking, let me know when you find it."

"I will, but it won't solve the real problem." She paused her pacing to rove her gaze over everyone in the room.

"Kid? What real problem?" Hobbes tried to cover the concern, but they all saw it.

"Yeah," Darien responded, "the leak that gave Royce the intel that the gland could host a secondary personality."

Hobbes groaned. "That ain't just a leak, that's a frickin' sinkhole under a lake."

The Official rubbed his face in his hands. "It may not be a leak, per se."

"Then what might it be?" Darien asked, tone grim and unhappy.

"The Official does have those he answers to," Eberts explained without actually explaining anything.

Alyx sighed heavily. "Great, just great." She spun away one hand rubbing her forehead in irritation. "I've had enough. I'm going home."

"Miss Silver-"

She turned around and jabbed a finger at the man behind the desk. "No, damn it. I've been awake forty hours trying to clean up your mess. I need a break. Shore up your own fucking levies for a few hours." And with that she stormed out of the office, the door nearly slamming shut behind her.

The Official turned to Darien. "How bad off is she?"

Darien felt no small amount of surprise that the Official had even noticed, much less gave a rat's ass about Alyx's state of mind. "Not great, as you have just experienced."

"She'll be fine after some food and sleep," Hobbes assured their boss, though Darien didn't really agree. She hated loose ends and they had far too many of them with this whole mess.

Darien shook his head. "This screwed her up pretty good."

"In what way?" Eberts asked, playing mouthpiece for his god.

Darien debated for a long moment about revealing the truth and decided that this time, the information was need to know. "Having Arnaud around caused her to... backslide a bit personality-wise. Add in the fact that I wasn't around to keep her balanced and... she's a frickin' mess."

"She seems to be fine." Eberts glanced at the Official as he responded.

"Seems being the operative word. She's been doing better since Fawkes came back, but I agree, she's screwed up but good and will need a couple weeks here to, maybe, get back to normal," Hobbes said frankly and Darien appreciated it. His partner had spent as much time as he could spare with her, and would therefore have the best grasp of Alyx's state of mind of all of them. If he thought she needed a couple weeks here, with Darien, then she really need a couple  _months_  that could not be afforded by any of them. Things would need to return to normal soon or the budget would run dry.

"Thanks, man."

Hobbes shrugged. "It's the truth."

"Truth or not, there's a limit to the leeway I can grant her. I will endeavor to assign her jobs locally for a while," the Official offered, being unusually magnanimous, which meant something serious was up, but right now Darien didn't care.

"And us?"

"As soon as The Keeper clears you for duty, we have several assignments waiting for you," Eberts informed them, which actually left Darien feeling relieved. He looked forward to things returning to some semblance of normal.

"And on that note I'm heading down to the Keep to find out if my brain is about to ooze out my ears."

Hobbes snorted and followed Darien out the door. "You're fine, Fawkes, even if you are still channeling your brother every now and then."

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

The knock on his door surprised him, especially since it was nearly midnight. He hadn't been home all that long as he and Hobbes had actually been working, hoofing it... okay driving all over town in a vain attempt to locate the potential perp of the week. They hadn't succeeded in finding him, and would be starting over again tomorrow.

Fun.

On the other side of the door stood Alyx, which was even more surprising as he hadn't seen her since she'd stormed out of the Agency yesterday. "Hey, you."

"Hey, you," she echoed a tired smile on her face. "Can I come in?"

_Duh._  He stepped aside and waved for her to enter. "Drink?"

"Oh hells yes," she responded. "Something that'll put hair on my chest."

Darien laughed. "That is not an image I wanted in my mind," he told her even as he shut and locked the door. He had the feeling she had no plans to leave tonight. "He grabbed the bottle of scotch and two glasses, figuring he might as well join her. "What's in the bag?"

It wasn't her usual messenger bag or backpack, but a small duffle that she carefully set on the pool table. She unzipped it and pulled out a fair sized package that had been opened. "The missing laptop," she said as she held it out to him.

He set the drinks down on the bar counter and took it from her. "Where'd you find it?" He carried it over to his bed and cautiously slid the computer out of the box. It appeared to be intact; all the extras packed neatly in the box as well.

"I didn't," she said, and he turned about to see her leaning against the pool table, glass in hand, containing half the alcohol that had been there when he'd set it down. "Delivered via courier."

He retrieved his glass, swallowing down a mouthful of the smooth liquor. The girl knew how to choose her single malts. "Why you?"

She smiled wanly. "Probably because he wasn't certain he'd be gone."

Darien shook his head, not believing that. And it wasn't too difficult to figure out the real reason he'd chosen Alyx over anyone else in Darien's, admittedly limited, circle of friends. "No. He trusted you."

She shrugged. "Possibly."

"Are those files Claire wants on it?"

She shrugged again. "I have no idea. The note said you were to get first dibs. All I did was verify the machine worked."

"Note?" He opened the laptop to find a single sheet of paper in Kevin's scrawl.  _Alyx, sorry to be so circumspect, but this seemed to be the only way to assure Darien would get this. Please see to it he watches the video I've left him. Thanks. Kevin._

Getting first dibs could be left open to interpretation, but he appreciated her willingness to let him see what Kevin had left for him before she went digging through the hard drive and possibly destroyed the piddling personal stuff. He carried the machine over to the desk and proceeded to set it up. He'd become reasonably well versed in using it prior to Kevin taking over, which meant, unless he needed to do something esoteric, he wouldn't require Alyx to walk him through this.

He turned about as the computer started up to see her pulling her usual bag out of the larger one and slinging it over her shoulder. "Hey, where you going?"

"Out," she told him.

"But..." He felt his heart drop and wondered what he'd done or said wrong, "but I was hoping you'd stay tonight."

She gave him one of her brilliant and treasured smiles. "For an hour, bub. So you can have some privacy."

He walked over to her, setting his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to. I have nothing to hide. I doubt Kev does either."

She rubbed her cheek against his right hand. "I know, but if I want something to eat I'm going to need to purchase it." She shifted slightly to look over at the Zippy Cola fridge. "Thine cupboard is bare, my dear."

He snorted. "Yes, it is. Dinner, if you can call it that, was a bag of popcorn that I don't remember buying."

"Late dinner for two it is." She rose up onto her tippy toes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He sighed softly, enjoying the momentary pleasure. "Will you be giving the laptop to Claire after I'm done?"

"No," she answered, voice soft. "Kevin wanted you to have it, far as I'm concerned it's yours to do with as you see fit. If  _you_  want to give it to Claire you can, but it'll be your decision."

Damn. How did she always know just the right thing to say, and more, how could it be she always meant it. "Fair enough. Still, I want you to check it over and see if there's anything important on it, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay." She stepped away. "I'll be back. Text if you need anything."

"Just you."

She grinned. "Flatterer," she demurred with a lazy blink of her eyes that made his chest and areas lower tighten in reaction. And then she was gone, out the door, which clicked quietly shut behind her.

He stood there for a moment, suddenly afraid of what Kevin might have to say to him. These would literally be his brother's last words. What if they were something he didn't want to hear?

He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly; hoping courage would come with the rush of oxygen to his blood.

 

~^~^~^~^~

 

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Well, technically, you just did, so you appear to be capable of it." She bit the skin over his ribs, teeth scraping across the tender flesh, but the sensation ran on that fine line between pleasure and pain.

He groaned, but didn't stop her, enjoying her presence far,  _far_  too much. "Smartass," he muttered.

She added in her tongue, making him shiver, but he saw it for what it was: a distraction. On this occasion he would fight it, as he wanted this particular question answered. He slid his hand into her hair and gently tugged until she allowed herself to be pulled away, rolling onto her back with a sigh. "So, what could possibly be of greater import than another round of sweat drenched sex?"

For an instant she felt...  _wrong_  and he feared that things had gone sideways for them, yet again. She had still not settled completely personality-wise and since they'd been out of contact for a fair twenty-four hours he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that those other hers had decided to make an appearance. She needed normalcy not sex. And she seemed to find the normalcy hard to grasp, possibly because he still hadn't returned to being just Darien. Kevin still lingered and it would be certain to throw her off.

They really hadn't thought of the consequences of their actions. Not in the long term that's for sure. Even if things had gone exactly as the Official had planned, Alyx would have... hell, she  _had_  felt the difference when he and Kevin had been doing the timeshare thing. Had come home partially because something felt wrong. Apparently, knowing he lived in the back of her head and understanding precisely what that meant were two very different things.

Since Heilberg and Arnaud had screwed with her head she'd become more dependent on him to maintain a consistent personality and that was both good and bad. On second thought, aside from the nice to be needed thing, it was pretty much all bad. She needed to be able to remember who she was all on her own, and it wasn't happening. While not getting any worse, prior to this incident, she hadn't been getting any better; still relying on Darien to keep her centered and stable no matter how long the separation.

He need to talk to... someone about this, he simply had no idea who. If he mentioned it to Claire, she'd run to the 'Fish and tattle, though he might do nothing about it, as he could not afford to leave her unused for the amount of time it would take to fix her properly. Treating the symptoms and not the real problem. Though having her remain dependent on Darien would probably be preferred, as it would keep her from running off should she get pissed enough.

He sighed softly. Would they ever get a break?

Probably not until they  _made_  it happen. Alyx was right, they needed to work things to be on a more even footing with their boss.

So, instead admonishing her, he rolled and shifted, pulling her into his arms and holding her. She stiffened in obvious confusion at first, then shook for a moment, before sighing and relaxing in his hold. "Sorry," she mumbled, her breath hot against his skin.

"S'okay, but you need to stop allowing your evil twins out to play." He kept his reprimand gentle, not wanting to upset her, but remind her that stability took work, at least for now.

She huffed softly. "I know, it's just... easier right now."

He kissed her on the forehead. "I like you the way you are," he informed her and she gave him a tiny smile for his efforts.

"I know you do, but you weren't exactly around to tell me lately," she grumbled, ducking her head as if waiting for another scolding.

"Deflection," he told her, not about to let her get away with it this time.

She shifted, dragging herself out of his arms to look down at him, her eyes bright in the dim light of the room. "I... I have no reason to be me without you around," she told him.

"Bullshit. You have so many reasons to be the best person you can, so what was so different this time? Besides our dear friend Arnaud to egg you on."

"What if I don't want any of it without you?"

He sighed softly and reached up to cup her face with one hand. "Sweet thing, if you let go, you let them win. I know you have some... issues thanks to your ass of a husband, but you're so strong, so... amazing that I know you can do this. Please, baby, don't lose yourself just 'cause you might lose me. I'm not worth it."

She chose to take exception to that. "You are wrong. You are worth everything to me."

He still had trouble believing that, but after watching Kev's video, and seeing her through his eyes, maybe he got it... a little. "You really need to learn to put yourself first."

She tapped him on the nose. "We are not going to agree on this, not right now, and I don't want to fight, so can we drop this for now, please?"

It was the please that got him, reassuring him that she'd swung back around to being the person he cared most about in the world. "That's my girl," he said and kissed her just because he could. He still wanted answers to his questions and now he might actually get them. "So, ready to answer that question?"

She laid back down, his arm curled about her, fingers tracing random designs along her hip. "Shoot."

"Kevin worked at the storage unit, big ass computer system, yes?"

"Yes," she agreed. "Why?"

"Well, I went by there last night and the computers are gone." More than that the place was spotless. He'd never seen the racks of gear so neat, or such pricey drinks in the fridge. Alyx had talked him into expanding and upgrading and he had yet to regret that decision. It wasn't perfect since it didn't have a bathroom, but with what they paid for the place they got to use the one in the office whenever they wished. So, if they had to spend the night or something they could do so in relative comfort and, based on the cot he'd found tucked in a corner, Kev, or Alyx had done exactly that.

"Okay."

For an instant he wanted to throttle her, but then realized he hadn't actually asked a question. "Do you know where they went?"

"Yes."

He rubbed his face with his free hand, understanding why Bobby hated when he pulled this shit. "And where would that be?"

"Someplace safe."

His frustration upped a notch and she must have felt it for she added, "Darien, this is one of those need to know situations. And what you don't know you can't tell."

"Is what is on them important?"

"Yes, but it is not a removal technique, I'm afraid, and, no, I do not know everything that he was putting on them. I have not seen the data in detail and will not have answers for weeks most likely."

"Alyx..." He wanted answers, wanted to know that he hadn't lost over of a month of his life in vain.

She poked him in the gut, silencing him. "The computers are with some very smart people that I trust. As soon as any useful and relevant information is verified I will tell you myself." She turned the poke into a caress that was an effective distraction. "I promise."

Still, it was those last two words that assured him that she meant what she said. Anything that he needed to know, he would, but that was all. Until she was ready to reveal all she would not. It had been difficult to learn to trust, but he had learned to with certain people. Alyx being one of them.

"All right, but if I don't hear nothing for awhile I'm gonna poke you about it again."

"Understood," she said softly. "If I am keeping things from you it is to protect you, I promise you that. I... I don't want you to think I'm lying to you."

He sighed softly. "But you will lie to me if you need to."

"Just as you will to me."

Oh, that was so very true. There had been any numbers of things he had kept from her. Some on orders, some to protect her, some because she didn't need to know. "How do we deal with this?" he asked, mostly rhetorically.

"As best we can, and try not to hold the lies against each other."

He nodded, agreeing. "Good enough. Now, I seem to recall you saying something about sweat-drenched sex..."

"Oh ho, so,  _now_  you want sex."

"Darlin', with you I  _always_  want sex. There's just times when it's not appropriate."

She laughed. "Thank goodness this isn't one of those times."

If she planned on saying more it was lost when he kissed her.

 


	20. Epilogue

_The Weeping Philosopher, Heraclitus, known for his decided lack of faith in mankind and all his works said, "A man's character is his fate."_ _And truer words have never been spoken. If you believe you're a thief, you_ _**are** _ _a thief. If you think you're a scientist trying to save the world, then you_ _**are** _ _a scientist trying to save the world. And if you think you are a man trying to protect his family with lies and deceptions… Well, then you are a liar and a deceiver._

_And when you realize this simple truth you have a choice: own up to it… or change it._

Epilogue

 

He watched her carefully from across the open space of the park. He stood in the deep shadows of the trees, all but invisible to those walking by, though truthfully the pathway was a fair ten feet away and unless he moved, would go unnoticed by everyone. He had learned a long time ago how to remain unseen even in the most crowded of places, even if it was by simply appearing ordinary, or normal.

There was a reason he had never been caught, much less photographed. He knew there were a couple shots of him here taken over the years, but nothing clear, nothing that you could definitively say was the face of the infamous Forrester Perdue.

The cell phone in his pocket buzzed and he pulled it out to look at the screen.  _You called me, remember?_

He chuckled softly, not the least bit surprised that she knew he had arrived or of his observation of her. His phone vibrated in his hand.  _I don't bite... too hard_ ,  _and your coffee is getting cold._

She was right, no reason to hide in the shadows. If even half of what he had learned about her were true, then she would know if anyone here intended either of them harm. He had gotten the distinct impression that she would do nothing to put him at risk. He strode over to the park bench, approaching her from behind, out of sheer habit he moved swiftly and silently, making every effort to blend in even though he wore a baseball cap and had the collar of his jacket turned up to disguise his profile.

As he came around the end of the bench he discovered her hand out, cup of coffee waiting for him. He took the cup, sipped at it, discovering it to be quite good. Not some fluffy drink commonly found these days, but straight black and flavorful. The way coffee should be.

He sat next to her. "You are quite impressive. How young did they recruit you? Sixteen?"

She shook her head. "I've been in the biz for less than a year. I'm just that good." She gave him a smile as she sipped her own drink.

"You are not what you appear to be, are you?" He eyed her warily. Royce may have burned him, but he had his own contacts and they had been more than willing to look into the woman sleeping with his son once it had become a necessity. How she had managed to access his files... Okay, so she really could be that good, but from what he'd learned she was far more than she seemed on the surface.

She shrugged. "I am what I am," she told him, making it clear it was not the first time she'd given that particular answer to that particular question.

"Do you care for him?"

She gave him a sideways glance of confusion. "Would I be with him if I didn't?"

"Possibly. His Keeper was supposed to be the one sleeping with him, but he didn't bite at that hook." True enough. Yes, the blonde woman was exceedingly good at her job, but there had been several males of the same or better caliber that could have been hired, and the Official chose the pretty one. Darien and his need to buck authority at every turn prevented him from falling into that trap thankfully.

"Would you believe whatever answer I gave you?"

"If it's the truth, I might," he said, just to see how she would react.

She laughed, eyes lighting up in the bright afternoon sunshine. "Oh, you are a sly one, now aren't you. Royce isn't the end of it, you know that right?"

If that weren't a violent change of subject, then he'd eat one of Darien's orange shirts. After time incarcerated he could not understand why his son would choose that color for his clothing. "I know, but my influence is going to be limited. They will believe him over me, no matter how you've maneuvered the situation."

This smile, the one she showed him this time made him realize that she was not only beautiful, but exceedingly dangerous should she wish to be. "You will be left alone. I cannot get your job back, they'll deem you too risky and uncontrollable after this, but you won't be considered burned."

He shook his head. "I appreciate that, but it's not important." He turned to look at her more directly. "There are those who will try to force me to do what they want, and I will not allow that."

"They can't force you to do anything," Alyx assured him, shifting so he saw more than her profile.

Her eyes were captivating. He'd known they were pale, but hadn't realized till now that they were such a light gray that they appeared silver in the sunlight. Almost the same shade as... "They did it to you too."

She blinked. "Did what?"

"The Official. He made another gland and put it in you. Fuck. No wonder he paired you with Darien."

Alyx set a hand on his forearm. "No. I do not have a Quicksilver gland. Yes, I can Quicksilver, but for me it is a genetic mutation."

He snorted in derision. "There is no way  _that_  is a natural mutation."

"I said nothing about natural, but it was not done by the Agency. Yes, the Official discovered the project and took advantage of it, but neither he nor the Agency was the creative mind behind it."

"You can't be certain of that," he argued.

"Yes, I can."

She had such conviction in her voice that he chose not to argue with her, even if he disagreed. The Agency was more than capable of it, though if what she said was true, it had been done by the prior administration. Or maybe she was telling the truth and someone else had made her into a living weapon. "Do you love him?"

"Does it really matter?"

It most certainly did. This had been a risk, but if she were with Darien out of convenience only, then he would not trust her. She had been the one to discover that Forrester Perdue was Mason Fawkes. She had told Kevin, to gain more information and confirm what she had learned, but she had not, as far as he could ascertain told Darien and he could only wonder why. "You told Kevin, but not Darien, why?"

"Kevin could handle it. And I needed information that only he, at the time, had."

"You could have gone to your Official," Mason countered just to hear her response.

"First off I couldn't since I had walked out, and second, he doesn't know that you are Perdue."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I saw the file sent out when Royce released the hounds. The Official hasn't clue why Mason Fawkes dropped off the planet. As far as he is concerned you are nothing more than a petty thief who walked out on his family." Her tone was completely bland and nonjudgmental.

"Which is exactly how Darien sees me, I suppose."

"Well, that is how you intended it to be, right? A thief, instead of an honorable man doing his duty."

Mason laughed, though it sounded bitter. "I'm a killer. There is no honor in that."

"But there is in protecting your family," she said without batting an eye.

"Which you should know all about," he tossed right back at her.

"Touché," she said with a tip of her nonexistent hat. "You've done your homework."

"So did you." She had gotten into files and made connections he had thought long buried and forgotten. He hadn't been Mason Fawkes in decades, not really. He'd been nothing more than Forrester Perdue, assassination tool and weapon for the USSA.

"Royce shouldn't have poked the 'Fish with a stick. Makes him grumpy, which makes me cranky, which means I go looking in dark holes that no one should be in."

"You need to forget everything you learned," he told her, putting as much force as he dared behind the words.

"I wish I could," she stated wistfully. "Not that there's any reason to. If you are out of the biz, you're out. Your life can return to something resembling normal."

He shook his head. "It's not so simple."

"Sure it is," she argued, sounding so earnest and naive to his ears.

"You may have stopped Royce, but there are others who would be more than happy to blackmail me into doing whatever they wished. I am not about to start now."

She just sipped at her coffee, eyeing him over the top of the cup, her eyes calling bullshit on his words.

"I thought you would understand given you have done the exact same thing." Oh yes, he'd done his research, especially since she was sleeping with his son. Maybe both his sons during the recent events, which had permitted his dead son a, temporary, return to life.

"And what exactly is it you think you know?" she asked, tone low and cool.

"That this," he waved a casual hand at her, "is not the real you. Whatever the Agency did to you, granted you a new lease on life, a chance to live all your formative years over again... without the burden of your family."

She glared at him. "My family is  _never_  a burden," she snarled. "Yes, I stay away to protect my children and allow them as normal a life as possible. What choice do I have?"

"My point exactly," he said, certain he'd finally gotten through to her.

"What point? Last I checked your remaining child is a grown man, fully capable of taking care of himself. My eldest won't be an adult for several years yet." She turned away, shaking her head. "You may have been watching, but you haven't been paying attention, have you? He became a thief because of you, which is ironic since you never were one. He so badly wants to live up to your expectations and he has no idea what they are." She stood and paced away a few steps before turning about, the look in her eyes even more impressive due to their brilliant color. "He has no clue who he is or who he wants to be and his self-esteem is in the toilet all because you didn't have the courage to step up once they were old enough to understand. And yes, my children will be fully apprised of the real story when they are ready. I may not be there, but I am as involved as I dare to be. You," she stabbed a hand at him, the look as accusatory as her tone, "walked away and to all appearances never looked back. You may love, may want to protect them, but you don't seem to care what not having you in their lives has done to them."

_Them._  He found it interesting that she included Kevin in her cutting rant. And it was then he realized that though she had expertly deflected his question away, twice, that she did indeed love his son, and more, considered him family. He had nothing to fear from her; she would protect his son, probably even at the risk of her own life. She did not seem to be the type to do things halfway. "You think I am the reason they ended up..."

"Dead and a thief? Yes." She crossed the path to throw her coffee cup away, pausing for a long moment to look out across the duck pond, a mismatched pair of swans, one white, one black, passing serenely by, before returning to the bench and sitting. "Classic Preacher's sons. The one following in his father's footsteps and the other doing the exact opposite." She smiled, though it was far from a happy one. "It is interesting to note that the one who went to college and became a scientist was the rebellious son, but that's not really the oddest twist to this story."

He couldn't help but agree. His boys had done exactly that. Kevin, encouraged by Peter, to use that vast genius of his in the sciences, though Mason would have preferred he'd stayed as far away from the government as possible, it wasn't surprising given his uncle's involvement. And Darien, trying to live up to his older brother's image, right up to medical school, while also living up to his father's reputation... as a thief.

Would Darien have walked down that life path if his father had been around? Possibly. He also could have ended up right where he was now, working for the government as a spy. Still following in his father's footsteps, though not necessarily in a more positive direction.

"What a mess," Mason muttered, actually having second thoughts about his choices for the first time since he'd made the decision to walk away and save his family from potential retribution.

"You ain't kidding," she agreed. "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Mason cocked his head. "Martin Luther King, I do believe. And my sons managed to take that to an extreme."

She chuckled dryly. "What are you going to do?"

"What I do best: disappear," he answered. That decision had never been in question. He still had a family to protect and the only way to do so had not changed.

"I'd say Darien has you beat, though he doesn't remain invisible for long."

A compliment and insult all rolled into one. Little wonder Darien liked her, she must constantly challenge him without even meaning to, just what his active mind needed. "You can't blame me for everything that has happened to him."

"I don't," she responded. "Neither does he. If all you were looking for is my assurance that he knows nothing about your connection to Perdue, you have it... for now."

_For now?_   "What does that mean?"

"It means he deserves the truth, and if you won't tell him," Her look hardened, "I will."

"Is that a threat?" He didn't take to being threatened very well; he had ways of causing people seriously regret making them for a very long time.

"If you wish," she replied, not a trace of fear in her anywhere.

The girl had confidence, that's for certain. "He's better off not knowing, and he'll be safer."

She stood. "You have six months."

Mason looked up at her, realizing she meant every word. "He won't believe you."

"Kevin did. Darien will as well."

"It'll break him," Mason warned, certain he knew his son better than she ever could.

"Perhaps," she conceded, "but I'll be there to pick up the pieces." She turned and began to walk away.

"Alyx..." Mason surged to his feet, wanting to go after her and stop her, to grab her and shake her and force her understand that he would do anything to protect his family. He'd lost far too many of them already. If staying away was the only way to keep the few he had left alive he would do so without hesitation.

_*I do understand, better than you can possibly know.*_

Mason damn near swallowed his tongue when her voice echoed in his head. He'd heard the rumors, but hadn't been able to believe them. He'd seen a lot of things in this world, including his very own son turn invisible, but a telepath? Someone who could read minds? It had to be a smokescreen thrown up by an aging Agency trying to justify its budget, but now... now he wasn't so certain. If this were true, then what else could be?

_*Six months.*_

And on those words she turned the bend in the trail and vanished behind a screen of trees.

 


	21. postscript primus

"Hey, Darien. I wanted to make certain I got things right this time." He ran a hand through his hair, just like Darien often did on the Perseus videos. Darien, whom Kevin could feel on the edge of his awareness. If not tonight then soon. Soon Darien would be the one to wake up and he would be gone, so best get this done now to guarantee that this farewell would be recorded for all posterity.

"I know you have questions, but I'm not certain I have the answers you need. I am not the person I would become at Perseus. I wish I was; maybe then I could have fixed the gland... but there wasn't enough time." He cocked his head to the side, watching his... Darien's face on the screen. He looked... tired, like had aged years in the last few weeks. Maybe he had, hosting two minds, two lives in the same body. Didn't help that Kevin had been burning the proverbial candle at both ends, trying to get every bit of useful information out and into those computers for Alyx and her mysterious benefactors to review and, hopefully, use to better the world.

"Trust Alyx. She will always do what is in your best interest even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. Her plans are definitely long range, allow them to come to fruition." Kevin believed that, especially since she'd gone behind the Official's back to build her own lab with the goal of getting the gland out of Darien's head. Based on her notes she would be successful in that, and within a few short months if he were any judge. The woman was tenacious and wouldn't stop until she had succeeded in giving Darien what she felt he deserved: a choice.

Kevin hoped that when the time came Darien would stay. He was a better man since coming to the Agency, a better man since meeting Hobbes and Claire. A better man since meeting Alyx. Hell, a better man period.

How much of the change was due to the gland and how much to the people he found himself surrounded with was unknown, though Kevin suspected there was little his brother wouldn't do for Alyx. Alyx, the one person who asked _nothing_  of him and would do anything  _for_  him. She, just by allowing Darien to be Darien, made him want to be better and that was amazing all by itself. Kevin had felt what Darien did for her and it was overwhelming, and so very real.

Kevin wished he had been able to experience anything even close. Sadly, he remained far too dedicated to his work; it would always come first and any relationship, no matter how strong, how real would always come second.

"I know we hadn't spoken in years, and I'm sorry for that. I used my work as an excuse to stay away instead of doing what was right and try to find a middle ground. No, I never liked you being a thief, but I should have tried to understand that you were living up to Dad's image." He shook his head. "Alyx won't leave you, Darien. She's not Mom. She's not Kimmie. And she's most definitely not Liz." Kevin didn't like talking about Liz, the adult woman who had taken the lonely rebellious teenaged hellion Darien had been and molded him into a thief. A damn good one by all accounts, if with rotten luck. He trusted too easily, searching for someone to look up to and emulate. It could have been him, he, Kevin, could have been the role model that his little brother lived up to, but instead he'd shunned him, thinking him to be less that he was simply because he did not have the burning interest in science that Kevin had been unable to deny.

"I should have been there for you. I know, too little much too late, but I was there when you needed me. I saved you, not the gland. You have so much potential, more than this version of me thought possible. You have done so much good and will do so much more..." He shook his head, not wanting to feed his brother pabulum, but truths that he might not be able to see himself. "I did the right thing, the only thing and saved my baby brother that he might have a chance to go on and do the great things I know he had the potential for. I've done what I set out to do and you will take it further than I had ever dreamed of."

"Alyx is right, much like Captain Jack Sparrow, you are a good man, Darien, even if you are still a thief. Just believe in yourself and trust your friends and you'll have the life you want." Kevin had high hopes for his brother now that he had true friends who would support and care for him no matter what may come to pass. "Oh, and I think you should contact Grams. You... we have so little family left that we need... you need to hold on to them. I know Mom didn't take us to see her much after Dad left, but she's still our Grams. Just think about it, please?"

Kevin held up a syringe for the camera to see. "If I'm right, which I usually am, this should remove me from you permanently. That means you will wake up... alone."

He turned to look about the room, the tiny apartment his brother called home even though he could do better. "Alyx is a mess, so be patient with her, she has missed you horribly." That was putting it mildly, Kevin hadn't spoken to her in days, and the last time he'd seen her he'd... well, he'd pushed the boundaries a touch too far. Darien's presence pressing at his mind; forcing reactions upon him that, no matter how enjoyable, were inappropriate.

"I'm glad I got to know you again, got to know my brother and discover that I like the man he has become. But the time has come to move on. I don't need vengeance, or for you to try and live up to my ideals. You need to do what is right for you, it's your life. Even if that means walking away from the Agency. Live your life, Darien, and make certain you enjoy it."

Kevin hit stop on the recorder and dragged the video window to a file marked Darien. Beside it was one marked Alyx, her video already complete and in the file. There was nothing else to do. He simply needed to pack it up and leave it at the storage unit to be picked up with the rest of the equipment. All that remained was to leave a note so that Alyx would know to let Darien watch his video first.

She would understand why he'd gone about things this way. If the Agency got a hold of this computer it would never see the light of day, but Alyx... Alyx would know that, even though there appeared to be nothing of value on the drive, there, in fact, was and be able to retrieve and make use of it.

Alyx was minimum of five steps ahead of everyone at the Agency and she kept her plans very close to the vest. That was okay though, he doubted she intended harm, she cared far too much no matter how she tried to hide it.

Darien would be just fine with her to hold his hand.

Kevin finished packing up the laptop, making certain all the pieces were in the box, then dialed the number Alyx had given him, the same one that had resulted in his use of the Isis drives. All of it would be gone by tomorrow... and so would he.

 


	22. postscript secundus

Darien had long since fallen asleep when Alyx slithered out from his arms and to the laptop. He'd told her of the file with her name, but she'd declined to see what surprises lay within at the time. She had been able to feel what Kevin's words had done to Darien, though he had, rightfully, chosen not to talk about it. She'd told Kevin that his epitaph was for family, and she suspected he had taken that to heart. Darien felt both sad and uplifted by whatever Kevin had told him, which was to be expected she supposed.

Nothing Kevin could say would take away the pain of losing his brother for - thanks to Arnaud's tricks - a third time.

And nothing Alyx could say would make it any better. Darien had to deal with this pain all on his own, all she could do was support him and be there for him, if he would permit it.

At least this time he was simply melancholy instead of depressed. Kevin's words offering some succor instead of more unanswered questions. She settled before the desk, leaving the light off as she didn't need it, the dim light from the Zippy Cola fridge more than enough to make the room seem bright as day to her. She woke the computer from its sleep and double clicked on the folder with her name on it.

Inside, as she had suspected, was a video, though why Kevin would leave her a farewell was beyond her. She double clicked on it only to receive a request for a password. Interesting that he'd locked the video for her, but not the one for Darien, which meant whatever he had said, he did not want Darien to see. She reached for the headphones and plugged them in as she pondered what the password could possibly be. She tapped one nail on the desk as she considered and discarded a dozens possibilities, before keying in a six letter word that was accepted, the video starting immediately.

" _Alyx… Michele, I want to thank you. You gave me the second chance I had been stubbornly unwilling to give myself for years simply because I refused to understand. Hell, simply refused to just see what was in front of me."_  He paused, tried to adjust a pair of glasses he wasn't wearing, sighed and then continued,  _"You gave me every opportunity to see the truth, but still had to beat me over the head with it before it sank in. You have no idea how amazing you are. Darien looks at you and his heart tightens he loves you so much. Yes, so much that_ _ **I**_ _could feel it. He may be terrified that you will leave him, but that cannot change how he feels._ " Kevin chuckled softly.  _"You may not believe in destiny, but Darien is certain that you and only you are the person he should be with. Even if the two of you were to go your separate ways, for whatever reason, he would still love you. No matter how many others might capture part of his heart, he would love none as much or as fully… and listen to me turn into an utter romantic fool._

" _My point is: don't take his fears to heart, one day he will understand… understand you and he'll realize that you will always be by his side… even when you can't physically be there. Your mental link only emphasizes this. Even with the genetic connection we discovered, there is no rational reason for you to have developed such a strong and permanent link with him… unless it was supposed to be. I know, what happened to the rational scientist? He stepped aside when he learned that his brother could do things with the gland that had never even been theorized, much less suspected._

" _What he can do, the level of control is so far beyond what I predicted… And if it can be taught..."_

Kevin looked her dead in the eye, startling her even though it was a video.  _"I've given you everything I have, including the original design. Yes, it still needs to be fixed, but if you can remove the toxin cells from Arnaud's retroviral solution then you will have everything the Official needs. But, truthfully, I wouldn't bother. I suspect you already have plans for a new design… well, now you have more. Those computers you loaned me have everything you need to move the project forward by leaps and bounds. Don't let the Official stop you or interfere. He's going to be pissed when you reveal you can remove the gland from Darien, use the info to bribe him, but keep the work yours. Yes, I said yours. It is time to pass the torch on the project, and you and yours are the ones who should be doing it. You already save the world whenever you can; now you'll be able to have an entire team to help you._

" _You trusted me and, now I'm returning the favor. You're right about many things, including Darien deserving the chance to be a father. You will have that chance. Think of it as a farewell gift if you wish. I know you said to leave my final words for family, but that is what you have become, especially for Darien._

" _Take care of him, Michele."_

She sat there stunned as the video ended. She'd suspected what he'd been spending his time doing when at the storage facility, but hadn't really expected him to give all the data to her. At least not until Kat had called saying they'd picked up the Isis drives and the laptop, and brought them back to the lab. Her storming out of the Official's office had given her the excuse to fly out and retrieve the laptop in person. Kevin had been the only one ferret out the truth about her lab, though she had her suspicions that the Official knew she had gone haring off on her own when it came to the research. She didn't care, as she was certain she had covered her tracks exceptionally well, else the Official wouldn't just be dropping comments, he would have charged in and tried to take it over long before now.

A few more months and he would know the truth and now, thanks to Kevin, she had the high ground and would be able to bargain her way out of the Agency taking control. She'd close the place down before she'd allow that to happen.  _Her_  people under  _her_  control, just the way she liked it. This was the very reason she'd suggested reopening Perseus, farming out the data to qualified, but unsupervised contractors would only lead to more incidents like the one with Jennings.

Her fingers tapped the keys almost without her volition and she continued to ponder Kevin's final words, which lead her to an, ironically enough, invisible partition on the drive.

With a touch of trepidation she opened the files and looked them over. What she discovered made her heart pound in her chest with hope.

Maybe, just maybe she  _could_  accomplish the impossible.

 

 

_finis_


End file.
